Across thousands of Objective Management Group sales evaluations, one pattern shows up consistently: Leadership shapes sales performance. Our research finds that salespeople who improve their Responsibility scores are also more likely to improve their Tactical selling scores. Responsibility inside a sales force is heavily influenced by what leadership models. Responsibility comes from high-quality development conversations. Salespeople who receive daily coaching are approximately 10x more likely to master sales competencies than those coached quarterly. Outlook is one of the more overlooked drivers of performance. Leadership communication, compensation plans, territory assignment all play a role in shaping how your salespeople feel about their ability to succeed. Sales culture usually reflects executive culture over time. Organizations that treat sales as a company-wide responsibility tend to outperform those that treat it as a sales department problem. Full article link in comments.
Hey Ben Tagoe, Hope you don't mind if I hitch-hike on your post? The opposite of Responsibility is Making Excuses. When salespeople make excuses, they don't learn to do anything different. They blame their poor outcomes on the market, the competition, or even your company. It's easy to recognize when you know what to listen for. Excuses start with: 'They'. Like...they said to call them back in the fall. Or, they said they had to talk to the money person, or they were going out to bid, or they said they had to give it some time. All Excuses start with " they'. Responsibility starts with "I". I should have done... I need to do...I will do this next time. I didn't find a reason for them to want to work with us, and I didn't create value; I didn't displace the competition. Sales Managers, who accept and believe the excuses, are a big part of the problem. Leaders who accept excuses lead the way. Does your culture accept excuses? Wanna fix it? You'll see at least a 10% increase in revenue when you do. Let's talk.
Jim Peduto
1w
This aligns closely with what we see in the field every day. Most organizations treat sales performance as a "seller" issue when it is really an executive leadership issue. Sales teams rarely outperform the culture, accountability, and clarity established by leadership. Coaching, execution, urgency, and even pipeline quality are downstream from executive behavior. One point that especially stands out: strong consultative selling is often uncomfortable. Organizations that prioritize consensus and harmony over difficult business conversations frequently handicap their sales teams without realizing it. I’ve seen companies invest heavily in CRM, training, and compensation plans while avoiding the harder work of leadership alignment and accountability. The organizations willing to address both almost always separate themselves from the competition.
Ben Tagoe What stands out is the critical role leadership plays in shaping a sales culture. When leaders model accountability and trust, it creates a ripple effect that can significantly boost performance. Daily coaching isn't just a tactic; it's a game changer for fostering responsibility among sales teams.
Sales should always be an organisational focus… otherwise you are not in business.
This is a topic that I've seen several Objective Management Group Partners modeling what "excellent" looks like. Brian Kavicky, Shad Tidler, Mike Carroll, Frederic Lucas, Gretchen Gordon, Greg Gladman, Lori Richardson, Barbara Spector, Jim Peduto, Darrell Amy - what advice do you have for CEOs who are trying to build a healthy sales culture?