The document discusses implementing a team-based sales approach to achieve sales success. It involves dividing labor among internal and external sales associates, with internal associates generating and qualifying leads that are passed to external associates for closing deals. The methodology also relies on using a CRM system to track opportunities and ensure seamless customer interactions. Implementing this approach requires defining roles and compensation models to motivate the team and drive the desired behaviors to transform the sales process from reactive to proactive. Change management is also needed to successfully adopt the new approach.

1. Team Based Sales
Approach
Achieving Sales Success as a Team
This white paper serves as a resource to discuss the purpose, methodology, division of labor,
team member profiles, use of CRM, customer interactions, compensation, and change
management inclusion of the Team Based Sales Concept for Business Development.
By Brent Pritchard, Business Development Manager, Swagelok Alabama | West Tennessee

2. Team Based Sales Approach
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Team Based Sales
Approach
Achieving Sales Success as a Team
Purpose
Team Based Sales is a vital component to achieving sales growth in
today’s ever evolving marketplace. Success in today’s rapidly
changing customer environmentrequires the agility and efficiency
of a highly functioning sales team comprised of both internal and
external sales associates.
Uncovering organic sales opportunities, product expansion among
current customers, and converting competitive accounts can
equally be shared among all elements of a sales force. To achieve
unequaled sales growth, each element must be reliant upon the
other and form a symbiotic relationship for success. No longer can
one element own the success of the organization.
Methodology
The basic methodology of team based sales is:
1. Sales opportunities are created by both internal and external
sales associates. Internal associates primarily garner leads
through a Lead Generation Process, qualify them, and then
assign to External Sales Associates through an Opportunity
Management process.
2. A highly organized and practiced Division of Labor can
complement each element of a sales team and orient them to
reach new levels of growth.
3. A sales team designed around specific roles and profiles is
crucial.
4. Along with the sales cycle, all elements of the sales team must
be fully invested and operate within a CRM environment to
Team Based
Sales Transforms
Farming to
Hunting
  
Internal sales associates
actively develop and
qualify leads and create
opportunities, while
external associates close
significant sales
opportunities. The
combination of these
actions is a game
changer for sales
organizations.
Once qualified leads
and developed
opportunities exist,
focus shifts from
account maintenance to
aggressive attempts to
secure new business.
External sales focus and
levels of comfort with
established accounts are
realigned to pursue
qualified potential
opportunities with new
accounts.
This paradigm shift
transforms sales
activities from reactive
to proactive and results
in sales growth and
success.

3. Team Based Sales Approach
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create seamless customer interactions meeting both expected and unrealized needs.
5. Desired behaviors and activities can be positively driven and championed through compensation.
6. Implementation of change management processes should always remain a core facet of the continual
development of a Sales Team.
Lead Generation and Opportunity Management Process
Lead generation and opportunity management,coupled with well-organized and disciplined sales
teams, are key facets of the future development of sales revenue and new opportunities. Lead
Generation will serve as the chief source of new customer development and improved service to
current customers. Without an influx of and action on new leads, sales will stagnate and provide fewer
new channels to grow a customer base, expand product lines and services, and better align resources in
efficient, targeted efforts. Opportunity Managementwill serve as the mechanism to efficiently manage
the qualification of leads to significant business opportunities between all elements of a sales force.
Division of Labor amongst a Sales Team
Sales organizations must determine specific associate roles, criteria, and processes to execute lead and
opportunity creation, development, and handoff between internal and external sales associates. Once
that criterion is assigned and adopted by the organization, the basic division of labor discussed below
can be executed and developed into a highly functioning division of labor complementing each
segment of the sales force and achieving sales success.
Customer Service Representatives shall remain a needed component of the sales force. While not
officially recognized as a member of the sales team, they need to continue to retain responsibility for
reactive order taking and providing product knowledge for customers. Additionally, they need to
recognize the opportunity to convert crucial conversations and engage inside sales for potential
opportunity development. Their role is an important parallel function to those of a Sales Team.
Marketing also serves as a vital component within the division of labor of a sales team. Without
outbound marketing to both currentand prospective customers, lead generation and customer
development efforts are extremely hampered. The metrics provided from marketing campaigns help
to quantify efforts and communicate Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) across the organization.
Marketing is the lifeline for a successful sales team.
The role of an internal sales force is to help create, qualify, and refine sales opportunities. Internal
associates spend a bulk of their time transforming leads into qualified prospects. Internal relies upon
External to assume sales activity responsibility of qualified leads and opportunities that require onsite

4. Team Based Sales Approach
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visits, consultation, and the relationship development necessary to convert qualified leads and
potential opportunities into wins.
The role of an external sales force must transform from a mere service provider and order taker to
becoming a skilled closer who anticipates, understands, and exceeds customer and prospect needs.
External sales associates rely upon internal associates to provide qualified sales leads and opportunities
to augment sales beyond current customers and achieve sales success. Finally, external associates
should seek to engage high level decision makers to exert an appropriate level of influence in each
account. Holding high level, crucial conversations enable the delivery of solutions to problems rather
than just providing products.
Additionally, as an element of the external sales force, account service associates are needed to perform
the day to day tasks that most external salesmen have historically performed. To truly transform an
external sales force from service roles to a specified focus of closing qualified sales opportunities,
account service associates must assume all inventory management and onsite customer service roles.
External sales associates need to abandon daily service roles if they are to truly become full-time
opportunity closers. The full purpose of a team based sales concept cannot be realized if external sales
associates are spending their time fulfilling inventory, customer requests, and service requirements.
Included is a simple flow chart representing the basic steps within a Division of Labor for Team Based
Sales.

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Team Member Profiles
The ideal profile of an internal sales associate would be one of a tenacious, aggressive, but congenial
relationship builder who is unafraid of failure, opposition, or rejection. This individual shall be
perceptive, seeks basic understanding of prospect needs, quickly establish customer rapport, and not
be deterred from rejection. This individual shall possess premier communication skills, product
knowledge, and adeptness with incorporating technology into daily work functions.
The ideal profile of an external sales associate would possess the following abilities: premier product
knowledge, quickly and efficiently conveying key requirements to converting qualified opportunities
into sales success, establishing immediate customer rapport, keen insight to remove objections from
sales discussions, and an intense desire to expeditiously address numerous qualified opportunities
within a single day. This individual, while building key relationships, shall serve as the chief resource
for converting qualified and significant opportunities to wins.
The account service associate would be one that represents the most frequent, front facing relationship
to customers. They would provide routine account maintenance, inventory management, and
addressing onsite customer questions and needs. Their role would also be part observer and part
discoverer. They continually study the onsite situation for emerging opportunities, product expansion,
and increased service potential. Through crucial customer communications and CRM, information
would be shared among other sales team elements to efficiently serve customer needs and create sales
opportunities. The importance of this element of the sales force shall not be neglected or understated
by the organization. If this role is not aggressively exercised, the aforementioned division of labor is
unbalanced and specific roles cannot be fully achieved.
CRM as a Unifying Factor
A well-developed and disciplined CRM processes is one of the critical success factors for Team Based
Sales. By sharing all data and ownership from lead generation to close of sale, the sales team can spend
more time focusing on selling and less on information and process.
Internal and external associates work should “live” in CRM. Data analysis and recording will be key
for metrics and crucial decision making to help align resources and sales activities. A well-defined
CRM process should be developed and fulfilled to compliment a Team Based Sales concept.

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Team Based Sales Creates Seamless Customer Interactions
Customer interactions should be a seamless and unified response from a Sales Team practicing a
defined division of labor and using CRM for lead and opportunity management. With defined sales
objectives and a shared desire for success, the individual actions within the sales process should
complement each other and customers should not recognize true role division among team members.
Each sales action should add value for the customer and, if CRM processes are executed correctly, each
handoff should be received by the customer as a single customer conversation or interaction.
This is a relatively new concept that requires unification under shared sales objectives, team
communication service methods, and compensation plans. To fully implement this strategy within any
organization, buy-in must first occur at the highest level of management. While this idea is easy to
conceptualize, disciplined effort and practice must be given to this theory to truly achieve a unified and
seamless customer experience.
Sales Team Compensation
Compensation can serve as an additional mechanism to strengthen unity and focus sales efforts. Sales
objectives will dictate compensation models, but there are a few best practices shared among the
marketplace that provide a basis for further development within sales organizations. To create the
needed cohesion, the activities of each element must be examined to fairly compensate and share sales
success responsibility. With shared understanding and collective buy-in centered on sales objectives,
compensation can drive desired behaviors and results.
External sales associates, whose compensation has primarily been commissioned based in the past,
must generate sales revenue from closing qualified opportunities and no longer solely rely on
reoccurring orders from established customers. To compensate and positively motivate, a balance of a
standard, larger salary, coupled with an aggressive commission rate, can provide the compensation
level needed to satisfy and motivate sales personnel transitioning from a commission/draw format.
Providing qualified leads and opportunities, along with offering this type of compensation, will assist
in attracting quality candidates for the sales force. Time spent by these associates will be better aligned
with growth opportunities and shift away from traditional service roles.
Internal sales associates should also be compensated with a salary + commission model. Commission
should be used as a motivator to hit predetermined goals focused on lead generation, product and
market basket expansion, and uncovering significant, qualified sales opportunities for external
associates to close.

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Account service associates, whose role focuses on more frequent, routine service activities, should be
compensated by a set salary based on marketplace standards. Additional commission rates, however,
can be added to their compensation model and drive targeted behaviors and results to expand product
market basket consumption rates.
Many sales objectives can dictate the activities of each element. Expansion of territory sales growth,
company sales growth, increases in product market basket consumption and focused products, and
successful completion of an annual business plan can be incorporated in commission rates to focus
specific activities to generate desired results. Additionally, meaningful sales interactions, or MSI’s, can
be added to this list of criterion. These include: number of face to face meetings, number of emails,
calls, and personal visits per account tracked in CRM, tracking of opportunities in CRM,etc. Including
these elements in a compensation model are crucial concepts that pair personal enticement for
significant monetary gain with the organizations desire to achieve new results within the sales
environment.
Change Management
Implementation of a Team Based Sales Approach needs to occur within a Change Management
Process, such as Kotter’s Eight Steps of Change. It is crucial to create the climate for continual
improvement, engage all involved in continuous improvement and buy-in, and then enactand
perpetuate the change as it occurs. Change management has to be included as an element of a Team
Based Sales Approach for positive change to occur and to continually improve the performance of the
team.
The theories and processes discussed above will require continual refinement as time progresses, both
as the processes, team, and sales objectives mature. An organization with values aligned with
communication,continual improvement, and a dedication for success lend itself well to executing
ongoing improvements through a Change ManagementProcess.
Conclusion
To best meet customer needs and expectations, a Team Based approach is needed to transform sales
activities from reactive to proactive efforts to gain new customers and expand market share. With the
implementation of Lead and Opportunity Management processes and through CRM, the sales
organization will be ready to exhibit the change needed to drive new behaviors and sales growth.
While Team Based is a simple concept, implementation must be tempered within a change
management environment and discipline, coupled with understanding, should be applied as associates
serve new roles and divisions of labor. Additionally, any rollout must be scalable and each

8. Team Based Sales Approach
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implementation level should support itself within the organization. With well-defined sales objectives,
a Team Based sales concept can propel the organization to new levels of sales growth and success.