A lot of enterprise sales leaders talk about the importance of integrating leading indicator KPIs, a sales process, and MEDDICC—but very few are actually able to pull it off.
A conversation I had with my friend and world-class sales leader from Zscaler, Mike Earnest, will help shed some light on the subject.
In short, it all starts with BELIEF.
As a sales leader, do YOU believe in the process you’re trying to get your reps to buy into?
Reps have to believe that hitting these leading indicators in the right way (by following the sales process) will help them achieve what THEY want—their personal/professional goals.
If they do, they’ll buy in. If they don’t, they won’t. It’s that simple.
And if they don’t, they’ll just go through the motions, stuffing the pipe with bogus deals and BS numbers to manage up.
The real breakdown happens when frontline leaders accept it as fact and just “reports the news” to upper management, without digging into the details.
Before you know it, the forecast becomes a big pile of garbage that no one believes—leaving everyone exposed.
What separates the best from the rest?
From a frontline execution standpoint, the secret lies in transforming the weekly (1:1) from an interrogation of the pipeline into a constructive coaching conversation which starts with alignment and getting buy-in.
So how do you get reps bought into the process?
For starters, don’t approach the 1:1s from a contentious “inspection” standpoint like the old-school traditional training industry has taught for years.
Your job is not to introduce tension and friction into the relationship dynamics; it’s to remove it.
Your job is not to inspect; it’s to coach.
As you (or your FLMs) strategize with reps how to drive more pipeline generation and more efficient pipe progression…
Make it clear that you’re 100% aligned, on the same team, and willing to be completely transparent and vulnerable.
Pipeline looking weak? No problem. We’ll roll up our sleeves, and start PGing together.
Gaps in key deals? No worries. Let’s identify them and we’ll close them together.
When we work together and follow the process, you will achieve your goals and here’s what it’s going to mean to you, personally…
On the flip side, if we DON’T work together and if you DON’T follow the process…
◆ Deals are going to push
◆ They’re going to be a lot smaller
◆ You’re going to waste a ton of time
◆ We’re be stuck in a race to the bottom
◆ You’ll leave a lot of money on the table and miss out partying with me and the rest of the team at Presidents Club
The choice is yours…
REMEMBER:
Change cannot be imposed, it must be chosen.
As a leader, what you believe impacts what your people achieve.
Before you ask your team members to buy into the process, make sure that you are bought into the process.
But before you try to get your team bought into the process, first make sure team members are bought into you.
