WORKWEEK

Untangling a Web of Priorities

I think back to yet another role of mine. I came in as the VP of Sales, brought in to turn around another underperforming team. A team, I soon discovered, who were more than capable of delivering the numbers we needed. Capable, if not for the plethora of “priorities” they’d been assigned. 

Lesson number one in a successful sales team: Focus wins every time. 

Identifying and focusing our energy on the top one or two priorities would make the most significant difference in getting this team back on track.  

The Mistake of Juggling Too Many Balls

In sales leadership, a common misstep is attempting to address all challenges at once. This approach often leads to diluted efforts and minimal impact. Instead, the most effective strategy is to zero in on the critical issue:

• Identify the Critical Task: Determine which specific task or challenge significantly impacts revenue and key performance indicators.
• Focused Effort: Direct all efforts towards this single, high-impact task. Concentrating on one major issue can produce more substantial results than spreading resources thinly across many.

Aligning Activities with Business Goals

For a sales team to thrive, aligning their activities with the business’s overall objectives is crucial. This strategic alignment ensures that every action contributes to the broader goals:

• Goal-Oriented Tasks: If the primary objective is to increase top-line revenue, all team activities should be geared towards this aim.
• Clear Communication of Priorities: It’s vital to ensure that these priorities are explicitly communicated and understood across the team. This clarity helps in maintaining focus and direction towards the collective goal.

A Message for Sales Leaders

Specialize in resolving key bottlenecks. Avoid being a jack of all trades. 

This approach effectively solves the immediate problem and often addresses related issues.

Successful sales leadership is about finding and focusing on the most impactful goal. 

Let’s adopt this focused approach for more effective and rewarding outcomes.