{"id":8865,"date":"2019-05-30T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=8865"},"modified":"2020-01-17T19:53:06","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T19:53:06","slug":"association-sales-first-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/association-sales-first-step\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Succeed at Association Sales: The First Step"},"content":{"rendered":"

How does an association start and build a sales department?<\/p>\n

This question is a big one to answer, but making the decision to build a sales department in your association \u2013 either on your own or by outsourcing to a company like Naylor \u2013 has the potential to pay off in big ways. Although it is hard work, the reward of a higher earning potential for your association is worth it.<\/p>\n

Cris Frankel is the director of sales at Naylor Association Solutions. He has an extensive background in hiring, training and developing sales teams, marketing teams, call centers and customer service departments. When making the huge decision to start building a sales department, Frankel suggests considering four questions that he often asks himself regarding dilemmas both in business and in life:<\/p>\n

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  1. What\u2019s working?<\/li>\n
  2. What\u2019s not working?<\/li>\n
  3. What\u2019s missing?<\/li>\n
  4. What\u2019s next?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Regardless of the situation-specific answers to those questions, Frankel knows that the way they\u2019re addressed must consider three things employees want most: to be respected, to have security for themselves and their families, and to be passionate about what they do, he said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI believe in leading and not managing,\u201d Frankel said. \u00a0\u201cAs the sales director, I want to be that leader that gives them [sales team] hope for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Once you establish yourself as a leader who is going to believe in and respect your sales team, it\u2019s time to hire the right people for that team. This starts with selling the vision to your prospective salespeople, Frankel said.<\/p>\n

    Your potential sales employees have to understand that salespeople have great earning potential and unlimited opportunities to build a career path when they join your association. Additionally, associations shouldn\u2019t pass up the opportunity to \u201csell the crusade,\u201d Frankel said, meaning that because associations help people in so many ways, this appeal to altruism can be an even greater incentive to sell prospective salespeople on joining your organization. Working in association sales doesn\u2019t mean simply earning a paycheck for yourself, but it also means that you are contributing to the life-changing work associations do every day.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen somebody is involved in something bigger than themselves, it\u2019s very motivating,\u201d Frankel said.<\/p>\n

    Frankel looks for \u201cwinners,\u201d who all have a few common traits, when hiring salespeople. These ideal salespeople will have a strong work ethic, a competitive mindset, a constant motivation to win, and a burning desire to achieve greatness in everything they do, he said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI\u2019d rather hire for attitude and train for skills,\u201d Frankel said. \u201cIf you have the right attitude on a sales team, it\u2019s infectious.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Once you spot a salesperson with the right attitude, and you\u2019re ready to extend an offer to him or her to join your team, treat the recruiting process like the sales process. Hiring with urgency is key. Even just reducing the hiring process steps from\u00a0 four steps to two steps can allow new team members to come on board quicker to avoid them considering offers from competitors.<\/p>\n

    The next step in building a successful sales department is establishing a winning environment with a positive culture.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen they wake up in the morning,\u201d Frankel said, \u201cthey\u2019ve got to want to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Part of the motivation for wanting to show up for work and thrive in their new position is knowing that they are going to be compensated at the right market rate. If employees aren\u2019t being paid fairly, they won\u2019t give you the full effort that is needed from every single sales person to build a successful department. \u00a0An attractive compensation plan<\/a><\/strong> is one that is simple, rewarding, and obtainable (but still challenging), Frankel said.<\/p>\n

    What else? Your salespeople should know that they have the potential to move all the way up the career ladder. According to Frankel, 50 percent of CEOs in the United States today started in sales. This opportunity to move up in your association\u2019s leadership structure, whether someone has the goal of becoming a CEO or not, can also motivate your salespeople to work hard to succeed. When a sales person works to not only meet, but also exceed his or her goals, a promotion to a higher-earning, more prestigious title is a strong possibility.<\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve hired the right sales team, you\u2019re ready to build them into a winning team.<\/p>\n

    <\/i>\n\t\t\tRead other articles in our Successful Sales Series:<\/p>\n