You can attribute sales success to many factors. One of the lesser talked about ones is diversity. A diverse sales team that acknowledges the importance of appreciating the differences in people can take a business to the next level.
On the other hand, teams that don’t take the time to understand the link between diversity and sales will lack solid customer relationships, solutions, and results. Let’s discuss the connection between diversity and sales in more detail.
Attract More Loyal Customers
Diversity is critical in attracting more loyal clients. A diverse sales team can gain access to an expanded client pool, especially if they embrace diversity in their advertising efforts.
Clients who see someone like themself in an ad are more likely to connect with it emotionally. As a result, they want to learn more about the business that created the ad and what they have to offer. They’ll eventually complete the sale if they feel the company is genuine and can provide value.
Representation in advertisement matters. Aerie figured that out with its body positivity campaign. And so did Procter and Gamble with its efforts to explore the experience of Black mothers in its “The Talk” ads.
Consumer perceptions of diversity in advertisement make a huge difference in sales. “64% of those surveyed said they took some sort of action after seeing an ad that they considered to be diverse or inclusive.” Creating a diverse sales team that can provide authentically diverse advertising materials isn’t a bad idea. This way, you and your team can predict public perception more accurately and cater to the needs of your diverse audience.
Moreover, prioritizing diversity helps you keep clients longer. Businesses that are genuine about diversity and inclusion commitments are hard to come by. So, when a client that values diversity finds one, they’re more likely to become loyal to that business.
Develop Inclusive Sales Solutions
When a sales team is full of individuals that think and behave the same, the ideas and solutions they come up with will be the same too. Coming up with the same old solutions isn’t conducive to a thriving sales operation.
Conversely, diverse teams have members that think and behave differently. These varying perspectives lead to diverse sales solutions. And when you have a myriad of creative solutions, you can better serve your clients.
Innovation is crucial in sales, and that’s what diversity inevitably brings.
Diverse Sales Teams Yield Better Results
Diverse sales teams tend to yield better results. Of course, developing inclusive solutions and attracting loyal customers leads to more profitable results and higher conversion rates. But diverse sales teams get to the above because they’ve mastered the art of collaboration. An array of opinions is able to be expressed and taken into consideration.
It isn’t about getting everyone to agree on the same thing. Instead, a diverse sales team allows space for everyone to contribute. They don’t shy away from disagreements and differing perspectives. They embrace them because they know all voices must be heard to serve clients best.
How To Prioritize Diversity in Your Sales Team
Diversity can bring a lot to sales. But how exactly do you prioritize it in your team?
Start by diversifying your recruiting and hiring process
Ensuring your sales team is diverse starts in the recruiting and hiring process. The aspects of recruiting and hiring that make it so challenging and tedious often lead sales managers to automate much of the process.
As beneficial as automation tools can be in recruiting and hiring, the potential for bias in them makes them dangerous for your efforts to put together a diverse team. It’ll require more effort, resources, and time, but it’s better to be hands-on in recruiting and hiring.
Analyze your current team and pinpoint where you’re lacking. After that, define precisely the kind of people you’d need to fill those holes. Consider what individuals of different ages, abilities, educational backgrounds, religions, skillsets, and socioeconomic classes could bring to the table.
Then, put together job postings that attract your ideal candidates and ensure diversity remains a priority throughout the interview process.
Provide regular diversity training
Even a diverse team can benefit from diversity training. In fact, you should provide this kind of training regularly. A cohesive sales team comprised of different types of people that works exceptionally well together doesn’t happen overnight. Nor does a sales team that’s mastered interacting with a diverse client base.
You’ll need to continuously study diversity and train your team on what’s appropriate and isn’t. That’s where diversity training comes in.
Hosting these sessions regularly will ensure your team understands how to best communicate with diverse groups. They can talk openly about hard topics like racism and discrimination. They can also bring awareness to offensive language and behavior that some of your team otherwise wouldn’t know was offensive.
Lean into conflict resolution
The differences a diverse sales team has can be the best and the worst thing about it. Differences can lead to lots of innovation and creativity, but they can also lead to disagreements that can sometimes become heated.
A lot of the time, teams will sweep their issues under the rug and never resolve them. As a result, members become resentful of one another, which stalls the team’s productivity.
On the other hand, when a team genuinely resolves its conflicts, it leads to more respect and better communication among one another. Conflict comes with the diversity territory. So, it’s best to prepare for it and lean into conflict resolution.
Conclusion
As diversity becomes more important to consumers, so should it for sales teams. The link between diversity and sales isn’t just apparent. It’s essential for favorable results and a successful team. Using the tips above can help make diversity and inclusion a priority in your sales team.
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