7 Steps to Gain Respect From Your Sales Team
As a leader, gaining respect from your sales team is a big deal. Here are our 7-step guide and reasons why earning respect is so important.
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Gain Respect from Your Sales Team Tips
Why is Gaining Respect from Your Sales Team Important
Good leaders must be respected so they can be successful, but earning that respect can take time and effort. When sales teams respect you, they are more likely to work harder to achieve a collective goal they believe in.
The workplace had developed to be more ethical, transparent, collaborative, and mindful of its employees. Therefore, leaders must be similarly conscientious and earn the respect of their colleagues.
Not all respected leaders are necessarily well-liked, and there is a considerable disparity between being liked as a person and respected as a leader.
Being a leader also doesn’t automatically mean that you have earned respect because of your position; in fact, too many leaders take their titles and authority for granted. Some managers believe they are owed or commanded a certain level of respect just because of where they sit in the organizational chart.
How to Gain Respect from Your Sales Team
Give Respect
Earning respect is directly linked to treating others with the same. You have to give respect to get it. Right!
Respect is much about listening. People feel respected when they have been heard and understood. Show respect for others in all situations, even when they are wrong or emotional.
Inspire a Great Culture
Culture is the basis of every sales team and is fundamental to your company’s profitability and longevity. It reflects what you want to accomplish and reflects the nature of the organization. Instilling a good culture will maintain momentum, motivate employees, and sustain a positive environment that your team will respect you for.
Be an Active Listener
Being an active and attentive listener is essential to gain respect from your sales team. People always appreciate leaders who give their undivided attention and support their team and their needs, regardless of what they are. Leaders must reset their state of mind and be responsible for their team’s requirements. Of course, not all requests will be granted, but they should be discussed with an open mind.
Be Consistent
As a dynamic sales team leader, you’re bound to make the occasional mistake when forecasting. If you continuously make miscalculations or misjudge other business decisions, your sales team might not admire you for long. Be a reliable leader and prove yourself right so that your team come to you for advice and seek your opinion.
Get consistent results through data-driven platforms and use AI-driven technology to discover weaknesses in your sales process. Eliminate human error as much as possible so that you create more accurate measures.
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Work Hard
Work hard and be the best example for your team. Your employees will quickly learn if you slack off and they will disrespect you if they think they are working hard, and you are not. Show that you’re serious about building a successful team and working at least the same, if not longer, hours.
Recognize Success
Although competitive by nature, a well-bonded sales team loves celebrating success, even if it’s person-specific. Leaders who are noticeably grateful for the effort and performance of their teams will get respect.
A respected leader should also appreciate the unique capabilities and talents of their colleagues, and what each person brings to the table.
Admit Mistakes
It’s human nature to make mistakes, so never get upset or angry if things don’t go to plan. Get respect from your sales team by admitting when you’re wrong and use the opportunity to learn and do better next time.
Move on from failure quickly; it will happen; you will get rejections, so get tactical. Share experiences and allow staff to learn from mistakes by implement new practices, methods, or equipment.
Summary
People carefully observe their leaders. Some scrutinize their performance looking for justifications not to trust them, but on the whole, people want to impart their loyalty and respect. However, this can be made difficult when some people are just not natural leaders nor have the emotional intelligence to see how their insensitivity affects others.
Gaining respect, trust, and loyalty from your colleagues will ultimately mean you are doing a great job at leading. If you focus on earning respect daily and being mindful of how you are leading others, you’ll become more engaged and show that you are worthy of your title and the respect from your sales team.
How do you gain respect from your sales team? What’s the most disrespectful thing a leader of yours has done in the past? Please share your stories in the section below.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 16, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.