I am proud to say that Sales Syndicate – the foundation programme of Indicator, is still going strong 7 years on, and continues to get better and better. I also feel privileged for a number of reasons, but I think mainly by the quality of the people that choose to attend and the positive impacts that many members share with us. Last week one of our founding members said to me that without Syndicate, he would never be in the position that he is now. I have heard that, or versions of it, many times over the last 7 years.
In 2015 Miles Valentine and I started bringing groups of sales leaders together with the premise of sharing challenges, learning from each other and developing skills and knowledge about the role of the Sales Leader. We did this because we shook our heads as to how unsupported sales leadership is. We interviewed about 30 sales leaders when developing the programme and not one of them had had any real development on how to be a sales leader.
It has been an awesome adventure so far, and we are only getting started. The programme has changed a lot since 2015, but the premise is still the same. Miles is no longer involved (although he likes to attend sessions regularly) and instead the awesome Abbie Takle is at the helm.
One thing that the entire Indicator team feel very fortunate about, is not only the journey we have been on, but also the amazing learnings we have had, simply by spending time with Sales Leaders and the lens they have. We constantly have a gauge on what is happening in the economy, and the challenges of Sales Leaders. In fact, we launched the annual ‘Mood of the Sales Leader’ survey to share these insights in a more official way.
From 7 years of being involved in Sales Syndicate, here are some of the things that I have learned:
- Sales Leadership is a tough role that is vital to the success of each business
- Sales Leaders all have similar challenges with different nuances
- The most successful leaders are the ones that feel that they have so much still to learn
- The older you get the more you realise how little you know
- Analytical sales leaders are hard to find but gold when you do
- Not everyone is keen on development but personally I would only employ those who are
- Those companies not willing to invest in developing their people are unlikely to keep them
- Knowing something and putting it into practice are two wildly different things
- Being passionate or engaged in your role is everything
- Curiosity is an under rated quality
- The fundamentals of great leadership are very similar to 7 years ago, but the needs of your team are quite different
- Those who fail to embrace technology are doomed
- Getting sales performance consistency is the holy grail
- There is nothing better than having a conversation with someone who understands your pain
- Great energy comes from being in person with others
- Business is personal
I would like to give a big shout out to all of our members, past and present, for your involvement in Sales Syndicate. 7 years, 280 workshops, 317 members and the journey continues.
Lastly, thank you to the dozens and dozens of speakers, both domestic and international who have had an input into the programme, and of course thanks to Miles, Abbie and the Indicator team.
For anyone interested in joining the Sales Syndicate Sales Leader community please feel free to reach out. You can find out more about Sales Syndicate here.
