In sales there are four areas where building the killer sales team is won or lost.  That’s it.  It’s not complicated.  To have a killer sales team you must be killing it in these four areas; strategy, structure, people, process.  That’s it.

1. Strategy – Do you and your team know exactly where you are going?  What metrics are most important and why they are important? Does the team know what products matter and which do not.  Do they understand how the number is going to be attained?  Do you have a clear breakdown of where your revenue comes from, how much money is invested in each revenue channel and why the ratio is structured the way it is?  Does the team understand the impact of margin on the company?  Is your market clearly identified and does your collateral align with the identified market?  Is there a clear understanding of what you’re going after, how much you’re going after, how you’re going after it and why you are going after it?  Without a good clear and concise strategy, selling is HARD.
2. Structure – Does the sales team have a clear vision of where it’s going?  Does it have a tangible, describable identity? Is the organization structured right?  In other words, are the roles and responsibilities with the right people, in the right roles? Does compensation align?  Does the team know how the comp plan works? With out the right structure for the business selling is HARD.
3. People – Are the right people in the right roles?  Are you using a continuous team and sales person assessment tool? Is there clear understanding of the all the roles and responsibilities?  Are they aligned with the needs of the sales cycle? Do you have farmers farming and hunters hunting?  Does the team have access to good coaching and personal development tools and support?  Is training available? Do you reward and recognize individuals regularly? Without the right people in the right roles, with the right support, who are being rewarded and recognized regularly, selling is HARD.
4. Process – How do you measure progress?  Do you have a good, un-encumbering reporting process in place? What does your sales planning process look like?  How do you track sales team quarterly progress? Do you know ahead of time if you’re team is not going to make it? Do you know where the sales issues are?  Do you have visibility into the entire sales process?  Do you employ a strong governance model? Is there a reliable cadence?  What processess do you have in place that accelerate sales AND provide visibility into sales progress?  With out good processess, selling is HARD.