Expert Opinion: Building winning sales teams and driving results

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Chris Lowe, customer experience expert from insight6, shares the eight key areas to focus on when building a great sales team for your business.

We all want high-performing sales teams, right? But building and maintaining a great sales team is no small feat. There are key phases to focus on—from recruitment to leadership and everything in between. So, let’s break it down.   

1. Recruitment: Attracting the Right Talent   

It all starts with getting the right people on board. Are your job specs written to attract the kind of person you want? Consider this: Does your ideal candidate have the right experience and qualifications? But more than that, do they have the competencies and behaviours that make a great salesperson? You’re looking for skills like planning, analytical thinking, decision-making, and (obviously) selling.   

Pro tip: Don’t just look at CVs. Use competency-based interviews and assessments to measure their skills. Ask the right questions, and you’ll find the right people.   

2. Induction and Initial Training: It’s Not Just About Product Knowledge   

Here’s a question: Are you spending time training new hires for your product or service but not teaching them how to sell it? Big mistake! Sales skills are critical. Some people think you’re either born with them or not, but that’s simply not true. You can train people to become better salespeople—if they’ve got the right attitude.   

Key takeaway: Focus on selling skills from day one. They’ll need both product knowledge and the ability to sell it. 

3. Strategy and Planning: A Roadmap to Success   

When was the last time you communicated your sales strategy clearly to your team? Do they know how the company’s marketing strategy ties into national, regional, and even local sales plans? If not, there’s a gap. It’s essential to break down the strategy so that every salesperson understands their part in it—from the big picture to their own territory or accounts.   

4. Measurement: Are You Measuring the Right Things?   

Are you tracking 30 different things with your team and hoping it’ll lead to success? Spoiler alert: It won’t. Focus on the few things that truly matter. Like the book Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? help leaders and teams to define their ambitions and achieve what they never thought was possible. Focus on what will have the biggest impact. A laser focus on say, five key metrics, will help your salespeople improve where it counts.   

Think about whether you’re incentivising the right activities. Are you pushing for more phone calls or more quality conversations? If your team knows they need to make 100 calls to book 4 meetings, use that data. But also, don’t forget to measure outputs—skills drive conversions. Train them to make better calls, ask the right questions, and improve conversion rates.   

5. Training & Development: A Consistent, Team-Wide Approach   

Training isn’t a one-and-done event. The whole team should receive regular training, and this includes everyone—new hires and experienced pros alike. Selling is a skill that needs refining.   

Have you thought about: 

• Team training days: How many are planned this year? 

• Coaching days: Training alone won’t cut it. On-the-ground coaching is essential to apply what’s been learned. 

• Field visit reports: Are you documenting what’s working and where there’s room for improvement? 

Pro tip: Train the team consistently and use continuous feedback from your team and customers to refine the approach. 

6. Team Temperature & Motivation: Are You Checking In? 

How’s the vibe in your sales team? Do you know? Or are you just guessing? Happy employees = increased sales, increased motivation in the team, lower attrition and better outcomes for the business. The best way to know how your team is really doing is to ask. And then, importantly, listen.  

Culture matters. Do you have a culture that encourages feedback, both from your team and customers? A great way to keep a pulse on both is through instant insight—our total feedback solution that gives you real-time insights into team morale and customer satisfaction. Use short pulse surveys or longer feedback sessions. Share the results with the team, warts and all. It’ll help you build trust and engagement. 

Bonus schemes: Make sure they’re achievable and easy to understand. They don’t always have to be huge but they should focus on what’s important.   

Ask yourself: Are your targets realistic? Do your team members feel supported? Because if not, motivation will nosedive. 

7. Managing Performance: Set Them Up for Success 

Let’s face it: if your salespeople don’t know what success looks like, how can they aim for it? Managing performance isn’t just about hitting targets; it’s about making sure your team has everything they need to thrive. 

Start with clear, measurable goals. Your team should know exactly how they’re being measured and what’s expected of them. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about the numbers. Are you recognising effort, progress, and those small wins along the way? You should be. 

And let’s talk about rewards. Does your team know how they’ll be rewarded? Are the incentives clear and achievable? Recognition doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to be fair—and timely. People love to feel appreciated! 

Finally, are you giving your team the right support? Regular check-ins, coaching, and a strong support system go a long way. It’s like having a GPS—without it, they’ll keep taking wrong turns, but with it, they’ll find the fastest route to success.   

8. Leadership: Creating an Environment for Success  

You can have the sharpest sales strategy in the game, but if your team’s feeling unsupported, overwhelmed, or burned out, that strategy is as good as toast. Great leadership isn’t just about targets and numbers—it’s about creating an environment where your salespeople feel empowered, valued, and motivated to crush those targets. 

It starts with trust. Does your team know you’ve got their back? Building trust through open communication and genuine support is the foundation of a productive, happy team. Empowerment is next—give your team the freedom to make decisions, take risks, and innovate. When they feel trusted and capable, that’s when the magic happens. 

And don’t forget about work-life balance—burned-out salespeople aren’t closing deals. Make sure your team feels like they can switch off without feeling guilty. Flexibility, resilience, and a dash of empathy go a long way in creating a positive culture. 

Finally, great leaders never stop learning. Seek mentorship, coaching, or even just feedback from your team. Be willing to adapt and change to fit the needs of your people—because when your team thrives, your sales results will, too.   

The Bottom Line: Is Your Sales Team Set Up for Success?   

So, ask yourself: Is your sales team firing on all cylinders? Are you measuring the right things, training consistently, and motivating them effectively? If you’re unsure or if you think there’s room for improvement, I’d love to help.