How to Build a Strong Culture While Managing a Remote Sales Team

Recent job vacancies are causing problems for businesses: Fewer people are entering sales, and key business contacts are seeking new positions elsewhere. Companies need to learn how to build company culture virtually, but not every leader knows how to build a strong culture with a remote team.

Company culture can be defined as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices of a company and its employees. It’s the company’s image portrayed by employees and perceived by potential talent. Leaving company culture unattended and uncultivated can have detrimental effects on how you retain employees.

Building a sales culture is all about inclusion, camaraderie, resilience, and embodying servant leadership. People want to feel valued and driven by a purpose that matters.

Sales organizations should focus on creating a remote work culture because 25% of all professional jobs in North America are projected to be remote by the end of 2022, and remote opportunities will continue increasing through 2023, according to data projects from career site Ladders. The impact of remote work on company culture can’t be understated. It’s important to adapt to remote team engagement and find ways to ensure everybody feels and experiences the company culture. Take time to have conversations to let people share more about themselves and learn and laugh together.

These three steps can help leaders create a more inclusive, effective culture for their sales teams:

1. Radiate your company’s soul to the sales team.

Culture is both internal and external, and sales team members need to understand both the company’s culture and the value proposition they bring to clients. Work culture is essential to success and needs to be clearly defined within your companywide mission, values, and goals so every team member understands and exudes it.

Salespeople are brand stewards to their clients and the company. They are the first people clients and potential clients interact with who can help them decide to continue the partnership or seek other opportunities. How you define your culture to your salespeople is key.

Company culture must address the “why” behind why you do what you do. It’ll serve as a foundation and pillar through the company’s successful peaks and more challenging valleys. If you haven’t defined why you exist and shared it with employees, you’re missing a critical step in culture building.

Team leaders must take the responsibility of learning about team members, facilitating cohesion, and helping develop connections. Any learning curves should be met empathetically to build trust, encourage teamwork, foster team comfort and cultivate belief in the company values.

Building a sales culture is all about inclusion, camaraderie, resilience, and embodying servant leadership. People want to feel valued and driven by a purpose that matters.

2. Equip the team for success with continuous communication.

Experts say a positive sales culture increases sales reps’ buy-in and professional development while improving team dynamics. Sales culture for your company should include the personality of your individual team members in tandem with how they interact with one another and with clients. Tools such as a culture index or a predictive index are great options for ensuring employees are a match for your company.

Are they listening and engaging? Do they value the customer relationship? Are there open and clear lines of communication between all points of contact? Do team members hold each other accountable for their goals? Is the sales leader patterning your culture? Keep in mind that most people don’t quit companies, they quit bosses – so leaders must be good culture stewards. These and other questions are important to your team and should be addressed to help equip them for success.

3. Perform annual reviews to see the big picture.

Everyone on the team must know that work culture is part of the job and one of the key performance indicators they’ll be held accountable for meeting and exceeding. The performance review is a place to discuss how the employee is embodying the culture and share examples where they exhibited it or insights on how to redirect if need be.

Self-evaluations, or allowing teammates to offer evaluations to leadership, are important tools to measure your company culture. Leaders should be asking for thoughts on team communication, connection to other coworkers or clients, flexibility, support, and activities specific to their company culture. Their answers can help inform effective and instructive ways to improve.

It’s vital to evaluate your sales team and company culture continuously, but the key to great culture is living it, not just talking about it. When you infuse an inclusive, supportive company culture into everything you do, both seasoned and new team members can adapt more easily, even when working remotely.

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