Toxic Sales Culture and How To Overcome it [Tips Included]

 "There is a little difference in the people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."

These words of wisdom come from the most sought-after businessman and philanthropist of the twentieth century, Mr. William Clement Stone. Ideally enough, his life lessons are still considered a piece of sage advice for business people. And rightfully so, in sales, attitude is crucial when one is dealing with important transactions that have serious consequences.

A positive sales attitude attracts more customers and contributes to forging a relationship with them for the long haul. It has been proven numerous times that a sales team that practices a good sales culture inclusive of positive attitude, professional conduct, and discipline can give tremendous results for the business, and ultimately for all the stakeholders.

A salesperson's primary purpose is to make a sale and generate revenue for the business, thus contributing to achieving its goal. One of the biggest hindrances in doing this is an unfavorable work environment or a toxic work culture.

An organization should never endorse a toxic work culture. It is an immoral practice and has a contrary impact on the overall well-being of the business.  These toxic traits in the sales team culture are often dormant and might not surface much in day-to-day business dealings. Sometimes the problem is noticed only after a devastating sales review.

How to Identify a Toxic Sales Culture?

Prevention is better than cure; the proverb seems to stand true for everything of value. And the first step of prevention is the identification of the problem.

Here are some of the most common signs of a toxic workplace culture that lead to sales team attrition:

1. Higher Employee Turnover

No one ever wants to work at a place that follows a toxic team culture. Sales is already a stressful job, and the responsibility of bringing in revenue is huge. If your human resources are busy hiring new candidates throughout the year, then it could be a sign of toxic work culture. If the company doesn't pay heed to the unfavorable work conditions, employees lose interest in the job and quit.

2. Communication Error 404

Proper communication in any organization is important to establish an agenda. When a person holding the information stops being transparent with others, they create an information gap that causes miscommunication. Although miscommunication can happen between the organization’s hierarchy, peers, and clients, if you are always explaining yourself or facing delays communicating with your team, you should fix that problem soon.

3. The lone wolf

The 80/20 rule is real, that 20% of staff is class A and probably generates more revenue than others. Still, your top salesperson’s great performance shouldn't be an excuse for them not to be team players and act arbitrarily. This discrimination causes dissatisfaction amongst the subordinates and creates a toxic environment. Especially so when you ignore bad habits and immorality to focus on the higher sales figures.

4. Accepting the unacceptable

When organizations ignore toxic behavior and follow a rather casual approach towards it, they facilitate such activities and make a statement that this behavior is acceptable. This could be an absurd comment on someone, a below-average sales performance, or reoccurring irresponsible behavior. Therefore, appropriate action should be taken to stop unacceptable conduct.

5. Setting unattainable goals

High sales goals are motivating and are great for sales team motivation. However, businesses often make the mistake of setting unattainable goals that are impractical and unrealistic. But when the sales team is given an impossible task, their morale takes a hit and leaves them frustrated and unmotivated. This practice is quite common with pharma sales reps. 

 

Read More - Overcome Toxic Sales Culture