Build Your Dream Sales Team

In this issue…

• Build Your Dream Sales Team: A Leader’s Guide to Sustainable Success - by Mike Carroll

• Extra Insights: How AI Is Redefining Managerial Roles - Harvard Business Review’s Generative AI Magazine (July-August 2025 edition)

• Weekly Motivation Boost: Self-esteem is Earned - Tony Robbins via Motiversity (YouTube)

• Action for the Week: Don’t participate in negative or undermining conversations.

• Together with 1440 Media: Unbiased news for professionals

🎯 EXPERT OF THE WEEK

Build Your Dream Sales Team: A Leader’s Guide to Sustainable Success

By Mike Carroll

Great sales teams are built through intentional leadership, effective coaching and the right environment for growth. Below are practical strategies that work based on real-world success stories.

Think of coaching like gardening – your role isn't to grow the plant, but to create the right conditions for growth.

Quick Wins vs. Long-Term Growth

There are two types of coaching conversations you need to master:

In-the-Moment Coaching - This is when your team needs immediate help. For example, Sarah has a big presentation tomorrow with a potential client. She needs specific guidance: "Try opening with this question..." or "Here's how to handle their budget objection..."

Development Coaching - This is about building lasting skills. Instead of telling Sam how to handle pricing discussions, ask him: "What do you think makes customers hesitate about our price? How could you address those concerns earlier in the conversation?" This helps him develop his own problem-solving abilities.

Making Coaching Sessions Count

• Start with wins. "What's your biggest success this week?"

• Identify challenges. "What's one thing that could have gone better?"

• Collaborate on problem-solving. "Let's think through how to handle that differently next time."

• Make next steps clear. "What specific actions will you take before we meet again?"

Real Example: One sales manager noticed her team struggled with getting past gatekeepers. Instead of giving them a script, she had each rep share their best success story. Through guided discussion, the team discovered that asking about the company's current projects worked better than asking for specific people. This approach led to more first appointments and lunch-and-learn events.

Culture isn't about motivational posters – it's about what actions your team takes every day.

Celebration That Matters

Don't just celebrate closed deals. Recognize the behaviors that lead to success.

• A rep who helped a colleague improve their pitch

• Someone who found a creative solution to a customer's problem

• A team member who improved their discovery call quality

Real Example: One team started "Friday Insights" where reps share one thing they learned that week. This created a culture of curiosity and learning from each other that helped spread best practices naturally.

Effective Knowledge Sharing

• Have top performers record their best calls.

• Create a simple system for sharing winning proposals.

• Set up peer-to-peer coaching pairs.

• Use team meetings to solve real deals, not just report numbers.

Work with Other Departments

Sales don't happen in a vacuum. Here's how to build strong partnerships across your company, starting with marketing alignment and moving to the product team:

Instead of complaining about lead quality, invite Marketing to your team meetings. Have them explain their campaigns, and have your team share real customer feedback. This two-way communication improves leads and follow-up.

Real Example: A B2B software company's sales team was frustrated with leads that seemed too small for their enterprise solution. Instead of just marking them "unqualified," they invited marketing to their weekly meetings. The marketing team shared that their latest campaign targeted companies experiencing rapid growth. This helped sales understand why these smaller companies might realistically be good prospects. In turn, sales shared specific questions these leads were asking, which helped marketing refine their content. Within three months, lead quality improved by 40% because marketing better understood the ideal customer profile, and sales knew how to spot growth potential in smaller companies.

With the Product Team, set up regular feedback sessions where your team can share what customers are saying about the product. This helps product development and also gives your team more confidence in what they're selling.

Real Example: A sales team was losing deals because of a missing feature. Instead of getting frustrated, they worked with the product team to develop a creative workaround. This collaboration saved deals and influenced the product roadmap.

Developing Future Leaders

Great teams have a deep bench of talent. Build it effectively by starting with:

#1 - Identify Potential: Look for reps who…

• Help others without being asked

• Take initiative to solve problems

• Show curiosity about the business beyond their deals

• Handle challenges with maturity

#2 - Help Them Grow: Create development opportunities by having them…

• Lead team meetings

• Mentor new hires

• Take on special projects

• Join strategic discussions

Real Example: One manager assigned each experienced rep a "specialty area" (e.g., competitive analysis or discovery calls). They became internal experts, which developed their leadership skills and improved the whole team's performance.

Maintain Momentum Through Regular Check-Ins That Work

Instead of asking "How's it going?" (which usually gets a reflexive "fine"), ask questions that encourage reflection and spark a more meaningful conversation:

• "What's one thing you tried differently this week?"

• "Where do you feel stuck?"

• "What resources would help you succeed?"

• "What's the most interesting thing you learned from a customer recently?"

Adapt to Change

Markets change, products evolve and customer needs shift. Build resilience by encouraging experimentation with new approaches, as well as sharing market insights across the team. Celebrate adaptation and innovation by learning from both successes and failures.

Building a great sales team isn't about quick fixes or motivational speeches. It's about consistent, intentional leadership that focuses on both immediate results and long-term growth. Combine clear expectations with genuine support to create an environment where people naturally want to excel.

💡EXTRA INSIGHTS

How AI Is Redefining Managerial Roles

How AI Is Redefining Managerial Roles - Generative AI Magazine article, July-August 2025 edition, Harvard Business Review

7-Minute Read

🏅WEEKLY MOTIVATION BOOST

Self-esteem is Earned - Tony Robbins via Motiversity (YouTube)

3-minute watch

🏃🏽‍♀️Action for the Week

Don’t Participate in Negative or Undermining Conversations

Conversations you participate in shape your environment and impact your mental focus. You have control over the conversations in which you engage. To keep a positive frame of mind and direction, focus on discussions that drive progress and align with your goals.

If you find yourself caught up in negative or blame-filled talk about others, take a mental step back and recognize that conversation is unproductive and harmful to your leadership. Address any issues with the team member directly and constructively (preferably in private). Redirect or reengage with conversations that empower you and your team, creating a positive, goal-focused atmosphere.

This goes for negative self-talk as well. When those thoughts arise, simply acknowledge them and actively say or think “I’m moving beyond that, and moving forward.”

💎 TOGETHER WITH 1440 MEDIA

Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.

Sign up now!

If you’re interested in using Beehiiv for your newsletters and publications, try them out here.