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It’s Only Common Sense: Sales as a Team Sport

Anyone who has played, or even watched, sports knows that it’s not just about scoring points or making big plays—it’s about everyone working together toward a common goal. Sales is no different. Too often, sales is considered an individual activity, with each salesperson striving to hit his or her targets. However, the reality is that sales works best when it’s treated as a team sport, with everyone working toward a common goal. Here are some key strategies and examples highlighting the importance of teamwork and how to implement them in your organization.

Align Sales and Marketing Efforts
Sales and marketing often operate in silos, which is a mistake. Marketing generates leads, but if they don’tconvert them into sales, you’re wasting resources. Conversely, if sales isn’t communicating with marketing about the quality of leads or content that resonates with customers, you’re missing opportunities.

To align these efforts, set up regular meetings between the two teams. Create shared goals, such as increasing lead-to-conversion rates or shortening the sales cycle. Use metrics to track progress and hold both teams accountable. When sales and marketing are on the same page, magic happens.

Encourage Collaboration Between Departments
Sales needs every department: Customer service, product development, and finance play critical roles in delivering a seamless customer experience. Encourage cross-departmental collaboration by creating opportunities for interaction. For example, invite product managers to sales meetings to discuss new features and gather customer feedback.

Collaboration can also include customer insights from sales to improve your product offerings. If sales consistently hears that a specific feature is missing, that’s invaluable feedback for your development team. When everyone contributes, the entire company wins.

Use Team Meetings to Share Insights
Team meetings are often either infrequent or focused on individual performance. Flip the script. Use these meetings to share insights and learn from each other. What’s working, what isn’t, what objections are you hearing, and how are you overcoming them? Do this by spotlighting success stories. For example, if one salesperson closed a deal using a unique strategy, have them share the details with the team. These meetings should be a safe space for collaboration, not competition. The more you share, the stronger the team becomes.

The Role of Leadership in Fostering Teamwork
Leadership sets the tone for teamwork. If managers focus only on individual performance, that’s what the team will prioritize, but if leadership celebrates collaboration and emphasizes shared goals, the team will follow suit. Excellent leaders ensure team members feel valued and supported. They encourage open communication and distribute resources fairly. Leaders should also model the behavior they want to see—whether it’s helping a struggling team member or acknowledging the contributions of other departments.

Reward Team Success Over Individual Performance
It’s natural to want to reward top performers, but focusing exclusively on individual achievements can create unhealthy competition. Instead, balance individual rewards with team-based incentives. For example, set a team goal for quarterly revenue and offer a reward when the team collectively hits the target. This doesn’t mean ignoring individual contributions. Recognize hard work, but frame it to highlight how it benefited the team. For example, instead of saying, “John closed the biggest deal of the month,” say, “John’s efforts brought in a major deal that helped the team hit our goal.”

Tools to Improve Internal Communication
Effective communication is the backbone of teamwork, and sales teams can stay connected through myriad tools, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, and CRM platforms like Salesforce make it easy to share updates, track progress, and collaborate in real time. Avoid overwhelming your team with too many platforms and train everyone to use them effectively. When communication flows smoothly, collaboration becomes second nature.

Real-life Examples of Teamwork Driving Success
Many companies credit their achievements to teamwork. HubSpot’s sales and marketing teams work hand-in-hand, using a shared CRM to align their efforts and track results, helping them grow into a multi-billion-dollar company. Salesforce’s internal culture emphasizes collaboration, with cross-departmental teams working together on everything from product development to customer success. This teamwork drives revenue and creates a better experience for their customers.

Sales requires alignment, collaboration, and mutual support. When everyone works together, the results are greater than the sum of their parts. So, take a step back and ask yourself: Is my sales team functioning as a cohesive unit, or are we just a group of individuals chasing separate goals? If it’s the latter, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Align your teams, foster collaboration, and celebrate team success. When you do, you’ll find that winning is truly a team sport. 

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.