You could be doing all the right things at your organization, but if your sales reps aren’t reaching their potential, you haven’t succeeded at building a successful sales culture. It takes a commitment from everyone on your team to work together, stay accountable and understand how individual behaviors and actions impact the bottom line.

Hana Elliott, vice president of marketing at Ambition, says building a strong sales culture is critical to your organization’s overall success. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we discuss the five components that Elliott says make up a successful sales culture.

1. Transparency. If you want to create a team of confident, forward-thinking sales reps, you must be transparent by providing regular feedback. No one wants to wonder where they stand in terms of goals or performance. Elliott recommends proactively keeping your sales reps on track and focused on the right KPIs. Let them know when they are doing well and how they can improve. And don’t be afraid to try different strategies, such as one-on-one coaching sessions or competitions to re-energize the team.

2. Accountability. Elliott says that holding sales reps accountable means clearly defining expectations and commitments up front so everyone is on the same page. This will prevent big problems from arising down the line. While it isn’t easy to have difficult conversations, you must be willing to bring up challenging topics if you want to create a healthy and robust sales culture. Hold your sales reps accountable to their commitments.

3. Motivation. Get to know your sales reps individually so you can understand what drives them. Not everyone is motivated by the same thing. Some reps may appreciate a gift card while others may prefer a free day off. Competition is also important in creating a successful sales culture, notes Elliott. Your ambitious sales reps may feel energized by competing with others on the team to win a contest. Aim to provide a mix of individual-based and team-based competitions to keep things fresh.

4. Recognition. Remember to celebrate the big wins and the small wins on your team. By recognizing the small victories, you can keep energy up and help guide your reps to bigger achievements. Elliott says you can celebrate small wins such as someone hitting their daily call volume for the first time or someone increasing their call-to-meeting conversion rate by 10 percent. When it comes to the actual recognition, look for ways to reward the behavior in the moment. Slack is a great way to send a quick congratulations and it allows you to celebrate team members wherever they may work.

5. Development. According to Elliott, development is the final key to building a successful sales culture. Sales leaders should always strive to develop their team, whether that’s providing opportunities for peer learning, offering individual coaching session or providing access to online trainings. Those who feel invested in are often happier and more productive, making them more likely to perform at their best.

A great sales culture does not happen on its own. To bring out the best in your sales reps, aim to be transparent with expectations while holding everyone accountable. You should also learn what motivates reps individually and how you can best develop each team member. And always be sure to celebrate the victories—the big and the small—to keep your team engaged and excited.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Hana Elliott is the vice president of marketing at Ambition, a sales performance management platform.