Growing Sales — The Positive, Principled Way

Companies in every industry and geographical location around the globe continue to learn and relearn this basic lesson, oftentimes when it’s too late: if you want to grow sales, you have to build greater accountability in the sales force. Yet, sales leaders say that they are creating accountability for their sales teams. However, the type of accountability these leaders use is often through quotas, hitting quarterly numbers, and so forth. While we agree that these benchmarks are important for measuring performance, leaders are not building their sales teams on the premise of personal, positive accountability.

When you build your team on the premise of positive accountability, sales growth climbs, and the results follow:

1. Increased sales volume and margins
2. Improved product and service launches
3. Better coaching, feedback and follow-through
4. Greater ownership of customer end results
5. More energized sales teams.

Here’s how one successful sales executive described his experience after implementing positive accountability in one of his teams in order to improve sales performance:

Of the ten people on that team, nine of the reps were promoted to district manager within a two-year period, and our district manager began his climb from district sales manager to regional to cross-functional teams all the way to vice president of sales and marketing. Years later, several members of that original team moved into regional or national account leadership. Today, you can find these people in other companies as executive vice presidents and senior leaders.

In another case, a provider of wireless services began applying basic accountability principles throughout its sales organization in an effort to bring immediate sales growth. Sales increased 17% in the following quarter, profit margins increased 45% over the next several months, and customer satisfaction scores soared. Building greater accountability in the sales force consistently results in sales growth for many Fortune 1000 companies.

Interested in learning how to create greater accountability in the sales force?

Check out our complimentary live and on-demand webinars. 

> Reserve your spot today

To learn more about how sales reps, sales teams and sales organizations can apply basic accountability principles to grow sales, improve leadership and achieve other key milestones and results, we invite you to sign up for our Accountability Conversation newsletter to receive the latest insights on workplace accountability and organizational culture.

Accountability Community is registered trademark of Partners In Leadership, Inc. All other registered trademarks and trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.