BY LOU BARREIRO @lou_barreiro
From Brexit to the U.S. Presidential election, 2016 turned out to be a unique year to say the very least. But if there was one story that rose above all the chaos and controversies, it was the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series. Five years ago, if someone had told you the Cubs were well on their way to winning a World Series, you would have called them crazy.
Crazy is what many people thought when Theo Epstein joined the Cubs as President to rebuild a team that hadn’t seen a World Series in over 100 years. While a cool $18.5 million contract didn’t hurt in convincing him to go after the monumental task, it was still a risk as the downtrodden Cubs fans were at a wit’s end and had extremely high expectations. Low and behold, five years after joining the Cubs, the country truly learned what rebuilding a team, in order to reach the ultimate goal, is all about.
As companies go through digital transformation, it requires that each department adapt and evolve in order to be successful. A big part of that is being able to understand how a department needs to be restructured or rebuilt in order to reap the benefits of the transformative process. This is no different when it comes to a company’s sales organization. Perhaps you don’t have the resources to bring your own Theo Epstein into the mix, but you can certainly learn from him and the Cubs on how to rebuild your team for success.
1. Build a Model for Success
When Epstein joined the Cubs, he quickly had a large tome created that would be the foundation for the team’s success. The tome included everything that ranged from how the culture would be reworked, to what type of players should be sought out during recruiting. Once it was fleshed out, it was shared throughout the organization so that all departments could follow the blueprint and all parties were aligned.
When it comes to a sales organization, make sure you are looking beyond just numbers and monthly goals. Build a blueprint for every aspect of your sales organization so that every moving part is addressed and share it with your team so that they align with you. When rebuilding a team, think about how a new blueprint can impact the team’s culture, how it aligns with other departments (such as marketing), and what type of training you can have for your employees. A model built for success only works when the entire team is onboard.
2. Operations and Investments are Key
When the owners of the Cubs, the Ricketts family, envisioned making the Cubs a World Series winning team, it required more than just wanting to win but making the top-to-bottom investments in order to reach that goal. This meant they had to make vast improvements to the team’s infrastructure, facilities, and operations. How did that investment pay off? Fantastically would be an understatement.
If you want to your salespeople to be successful, you need to work with them and make sure you are investing in tools and resources that will benefit them. If they are struggling in managing and creating better sales content, help them find tools that will alleviate those issues. If they are looking to learn more, invest in getting them better training and development. Moving your sales organization in the right direction requires an investment in tools, resources, and people that will help grow the potential to sell a brand’s products or services.
3. Patience is a Virtue
When Epstein joined the Cubs, it took approximately three years to see major improvements. However, due to his blueprint (see #1), everyone was able to stay on course since they knew what the ultimate goal was for the organization. This required a healthy dose of patience and employees remaining persistent and resilient through the rough patches. Ultimately, it paid off.
While patience might be a scary word for those who are part of a sales organization, it is instrumental when rebuilding how your company runs sales. Successes won’t come overnight. Implementing a new tool or process throughout a sales organization takes time, and sometimes results take even longer. Staying patient and persistent with different initiatives, like transitioning to a different CRM system or utilizing new sales content management systems, is paramount. Communicate early and often with your team and stakeholders on timelines and processes so everyone is onboard.
4. Rebuild Your Talent the Right Way
One of the key strategies for rebuilding the Cubs was seeking out young talented players and mixing them with veterans who had experience winning. Once the Cubs built a new team culture, they sought out players who would match that culture. This allowed all team members to align and match the organization’s goals.
While it’s essential that your sales organization’s infrastructure and blueprint are up to par, the talent you nurture and recruit is even more crucial, as they will be the ones to execute and create success based on your plans. When hiring new talent, keep in mind the kind of culture you are looking to build, who best fits into that, and what kind of talent is already there to fill in those gaps.
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