Have you ever had a sales team that was performing at a very high level and, then, for some reason the wheels fell off the bus? Have you ever added a new salesperson to the team or a new territory, and the finely tuned sales engine stalls? What happens to a sales team that starts and stops and starts and stops?
If you have ever experienced these things in your management world, let me share the four unique stages from Bruce Tuckman and how I have applied them to sales team development. Tuckman studied and labeled the different stages of group development. His four unique stages include:
- Forming – High morale (expectations) and low performance
- Storming – Low morale and low performance
- Norming – Rising morale and rising performance
- Performing – High morale and high performance
So, what is forming? When you take a new group of sales professionals and put them under a new manager, everyone comes in with killer energy and high hopes. Folks are beating their chests with pride and confidence. The world is their oyster. Then, reality sets in and they become dysfunctional …
And what you get is storming. Sales professionals begin to fight for cherry accounts, posture for target rich territories, argue for origination fees (deserved or not) and so on. They become more focused on their own stuff and their problems rather than on the company’s goals. You, as the sales manager, now need to utilize leadership and help create a common vision or goal. Show the team that by working together they can thrive, and not just survive.
The next phase, if you overcome the storming stage, is the “coming around” or norming stage. Here your team is developing (and improving) the skills for task completion, and morale is beginning to rise. Your sales team is being supportive of one another and beginning to be more collaborative rather than self-centered. The sales team is beginning to be more positive about the overall goals. Trust is growing, though still developing, and cohesion is improving.
The fourth and final stage is performing or acting “as one.” At this stage, your sales team has high morale and high productivity. Roles, goals and purpose are straightforward. Continuous improvement is occurring. Your team is hitting on all cylinders. Life is good.
But, what happens when a new salesperson is brought onto the team, the sales geography is changed or compensation models are revamped? Is your leadership style able to maintain the team’s cohesion, morale and productivity?
Dave Harman is an associate with Sandler Training. He has over 30 years’ experience in sales and sales management with Fortune 500 companies as well as small, family-owned organizations. He has held positions from sales to senior management with companies such as Conoco/Vista, Amresco and Ohio Awning, and owns his own business. He earned his MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. You can reach him at [email protected] or (888) 448-2030.
