Sales is traditionally seen as a competitive sector where workers are pitted against one another. This creates a difficult dynamic that could make team work more difficult. But it doesn’t need to be this way.
Encouraging collaboration within sales teams can actually help individuals to thrive and do their best work. It will help to break down barriers and encourage collaboration towards a common goal. It will also help to improve morale as workers will have the support of their colleagues, rather than feeling like they need to always compete with them.
If you’re ready to approach sales team building in a whole new way, read on. We’ll explore the benefits for your sales teams while also looking at the ideal team building exercises for sales teams to help boost collaboration.
Why is team building vital for sales teams?
Those who work in sales can benefit from improved communication. It enables them to share leads and manage their workload in a more productive way, rather than suffer from the peaks and troughs of productivity normally associated with sales work. It also helps to boost team morale, which can help to make every individual a better salesperson.
This type of collaborative environment will often scare those working in sales, as their income is often tied up in meeting their sales targets. Provided you have a fair and equitable system for attributing sales to multiple team members, there should be no issue with encouraging more collaboration.
At the end of the day, the sales team should be working towards a common goal. While individual excellence should be rewarded, it’s also possible for teams to thrive together. If you’re thinking about a sales team building activity for your employees, try the following suggestions.
Team building for sales teams
Sales professionals are naturally target driven and highly competitive. They are often driven by individual excellence, so it’s time to find a way to break down barriers and encourage them to see their fellow sales professionals as friends and not the enemy.
Good team building exercises can help to defuse workplace tension and ensure that any competition remains friendly and productive. Excess competition can quickly become toxic, particularly if there is the promise of monetary reward involved.
Building exercises
One of the most popular team building exercises is a building challenge. Split your workers into groups and give them a collection of building items. Popular items include paper straws, magazines, newspapers and balloons. They should also have items like glue and tape to hold things together.
This is a timed task where they have to build a structure that is either the tallest, longest, strongest or capable of another attribute, such as flying or floating. The teams will have to unite behind a single idea and work together, which can teach them a lot of leading and following.
Escape room
Another popular team-based exercise is an escape room activity. These are great for testing their intellect and problem solving abilities alongside their team work. They will be locked in a room and tasked with finding their way out by solving a series of puzzles and riddles. It will test their ability to follow instructions and work together towards a common goal. It isn’t possible to claim an individual win, so the team will be forced to work together.
Dragon’s Den
This popular TV show can form the basis of your team building exercise. Sort your sales teams into groups of 3-4 and task them with coming up with a business idea that they will need to pitch to the “dragons”. The dragons can be a team made up of senior management or another department. The most convincing idea will be crowned the winner, but they also need to be effective sales professionals to highlight the merits of their ideas.
Charity bike ride
The purpose of a long-distance charity bike ride is not to complete the race in the fastest time. The purpose is to make sure that everyone crosses the finish line together. This requires far more skill and determination than a simple race to the finish. Sales professionals of all abilities can take part in this physical challenge. They can also seek sponsorship for a good cause, which is another kind of sales skill they can put to use in their spare time.
End of year awards
Another great way to bring everyone together in a social setting is with an end of year awards show. The difference is that these aren’t all performance-based awards. They can be silly awards for the most bizarre lunch combinations, the most creative excuse for being late, or the award of the best round of tea maker. Enjoy an informed gathering with drinks and snacks while your present your fun awards.
