I can’t stand when people don’t take accountability for their outcomes. Sales managers, I don’t know how some of you do it – listening to excuse after excuse after excuse after excuse…you get the picture. I know many CEOs want nothing more than to create a more ACCOUNTABLE work team. But no one has seemed to come up with a magic bullet that gets everyone on the accountability track.Here are some top of mind ideas for you and your sales team:
1. Start from the TOP. If you want others to be accountable, guess what, you have to go first. Every single business success or failure includes responsibility from everyone. Think about this. Tom is a salesperson. He’s been struggling—hasn’t hit quota in 5 quarters. Most would say Tom’s the problem. ERRRRR (Price is Right Buzzer). YOU’RE the manager. YOU hired Tom and YOU kept him. I’m not letting Tom off the hook (read below). I’m just trying to help you get in the mindset of accountability.
2. “What did YOU do to affect the outcome?” Ask this question over and over and over. If you display behaviors of accountability, you give yourself permission to ask the same of your sales group. DON’T LET THEM OFF THE HOOK. Keep asking until they give you an answer that comes back to them. Not the market. Not your pricing model. Not their territory. THEM!
3. GIVE CREDIT and TAKE BLAME. Encourage your entire company to practice this saying, “Give credit and take blame.” Make it a slogan that you live by in your firm. Don’t just say it, DO IT.
I’d be happy to come into your company and take your group through an accountability boot camp. Just be sure you’re ready for it before you call. Oh, and I’ll take accountability for its success or failure. Call me-317-440-6391.
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