How a diverse sales team can lead to business success

When it comes to sales teams, having a diverse group of thinkers can be invaluable. There are so many opportunities to take chances, but you need people who will see them. Having diversity in your team becomes essential when problems arise. People from diverse backgrounds will see the same challenge in different ways, which means you’ll have more ideas on the solution. 

So, expand your hiring horizons and cast your net wider. The results will soon speak for themselves:

1.    Better connections with customers: 

Having a more diverse sales team can help you approach and connect to leads from different walks of life. The more diverse your sales team, the more likely they will be able to show empathy towards a diverse customer base. As your services and products reach out to a wider audience, a diverse sales team will help you connect with that audience.

Scaling up is not only a numbers game. Success hangs on the thread of being able to connect with customers across all works of life. Cultural differences can dictate the sales process. A diverse team will help your organisation meet the most robust sales targets as you rise to the challenge of selling to multicultural markets.

2.    Access to a bigger talent pool: 

When looking for top salespeople, it’s crucial to search beyond your usual network. When you start looking at candidates with different backgrounds you widen your talent pool significantly and increase your chances of finding a sales superstar. 

3.    Overcome ‘group thinking’: 

When you get people with similar backgrounds in one room, they are more likely to come up with similar solutions based on their shared experiences. This can be detrimental to the way your team works together and success rates. 

A diverse workforce helps to foster an environment where varying points of view can be freely shared amongst employees. Bringing in people with different views on the same issue means you are more likely to get a melting pot of fresh ideas, improving creativity of your team and boosting its capacity for innovation and success. 

Higher levels of diversity and inclusion in businesses have been shown to correlate positively to commercial performance, generate greater levels of innovation, and correspond to improved financial metrics. Find out more about this in our free eBook: Understanding the science of gender bias in the workplace. 

4.    Attract the best:

Did you know that 6 in 10 job applicants actively ask about D&I initiatives during recruitment processes? During a recent Talent Trends survey we highlighted the rise of importance in D&I since the onset of the pandemic. 

If you want to attract the most talented salespeople, you should aim to build a strongly diverse company culture. Employers of choice understand that equal pay for equal work and hiring people from different backgrounds fosters a healthy business environment. Great people, regardless of their background, are attracted to these great working environments. 

Therefore, when businesses maintain an inclusive culture, top talent are far more likely to want to join the business. This is especially true with the younger, millennial workers who will make up most of your sales team over the next 10 years. 

Tips for building a diverse and inclusive sales team

Diverse teams allow new joiners and existing employees to feel comfortable in the team and its environment. Here are some top tips on building a diverse sales team: 

• Conduct a diversity assessment of your team and hiring process. This will help identify areas for improvement and next steps. 
• Build connections in the community. Taking the time to get to know people outside your usual network will help expand the pipeline of candidates.
• Create a safe environment for employees to speak up. Microaggression training and employee resource groups can help create a more supportive environment.
• Train sales representatives in management before they lead teams. Success as a sales rep doesn’t always translate into leadership.  
• Audit your evaluation process and standardise performance metrics. Clear standards help level the playing field for all employees.

What’s next?

If you have a current sales vacancy in your business, get in touch with Michael Page Sales today and we’ll help you find the right people for your organization.