Let’s get real: the average sales culture is a dumpster fire. Sure, companies preach about collaboration, motivation, and smashing targets, but behind closed doors, it’s often a pressure cooker of fear, toxicity, and backstabbing. Sound familiar? If your sales team is struggling to meet goals, it’s not because you don’t have enough talent – it’s because your sales culture may be toxic.
This isn’t just a rant; it’s a reality check of your current team. If you want to build a high-performing sales team, you need to take a hard look at your culture and make some bold changes. Here’s the unfiltered truth about what sales culture is, why it’s broken in so many organizations, and how you can fix it.
What Is Sales Culture?
Sales culture is the DNA of your sales team – the attitudes, behaviors, and unspoken rules that dictate how your team operates. It’s the difference between a group of individuals hustling for commissions and a cohesive unit laser-focused on driving results. And let’s be real, your sales team is NOT family. As much as we like to drink the Kool-Aid, you are a team, and operating on the “family” belief will be the death of any revenue-driven team. Your sales team is like any professional sports team – everyone has a position to play, and guess what? If you’re not playing your position, any leader needs to be able to bench their players until they are performing at the level they’ve been hired to play – go get some practice ice time and sharpen your skills.
You can’t fire or bench your family.
Here’s the kicker: most companies think they have a good sales culture because they celebrate wins or hold rah-rah sales meetings. But if your team is more focused on individual glory than collective success, your culture is broken. Period. And let’s not also forget the “fear” within your team. Are they terrified to speak up? Going against what the leader wants vs. what is right? I’ve seen this time and time again, “We keep quiet to keep the peace…and more importantly, our jobs!”
Remove dollars and cents from any sales team and make it an even playing field across your competitors. But who would stay if money was not a deciding factor?
That’s what defines your sales team culture and the team captain.
Why Sales Culture Is a Dealbreaker
A toxic sales culture is a business killer. Here’s why:
- It Destroys Morale: Who wants to come to work when the environment feels like a gladiator arena or they are walking on eggshells? (Spoiler alert: no one!)
- It Breeds Turnover: If you’re constantly losing top talent, it’s probably not the job – it’s the culture that the sales leader has created. The leader sets the tone and if the tone is one person’s voice only, you have a team of followers and not potential future leaders. Succession planning, anyone?
- It Kills Performance: A team that’s stressed, unsupported, and under constant pressure won’t deliver – no matter how talented they are. They are likely performing due to fear of losing their job and not because they actually give a shit about the future of the company.
The bottom line? A bad sales culture costs the business money, people, and reputation. Yes, that’s right. Your reputation (industry optics, if you will) means something far greater than most companies give it credit.
What Makes a Good Sales Culture?
A great sales culture isn’t built on ping-pong tables or pizza Fridays. It’s about creating an environment where people actually want to work. Here’s what it takes:
Collaboration Over Competition
Salespeople who share leads and strategies, not hoard them. The shared common values and goals within a sales team will dictate the values and goals of the organization, no matter what the mantra on the wall says.
Real Transparency
No shady metrics, hidden agendas, or favoritism. Be real, be honest, and set the stage for feedback – real feedback and not the smoke and mirrors of internal surveys that can be skewed due to the eyes and ears of those reading the feedback and comments.
Accountability (Without Micromanaging)
Set clear goals and hold people to them without breathing down their necks. No special treatment to anyone on the team. What is okay for Jack needs be okay for Jane. Favouritism breeds gossip, which breeds animosity, which KILLS culture. There is no place for it on a team and yes while everyone has a position to play, each position holds just as much weight and value as the other.
Recognition That Matters
Do not just hand out “Top Salesperson” trophies but celebrating “team” wins and milestones. Do this often and not only during special moments within the organization. Be fair and celebrate other achievements and milestones that help to create the team culture – and not just the dollars and cents. A little goes a long way.
One on Ones
Yes, the infamous time constraint. If you can’t find the time for your people, what message does that send? Teams see that as, “I have more important priorities than you.” Why would any sales rep go above and beyond the call of duty when you can’t carve out a ½ hour for them weekly or, at the very least, bi-weekly? What happens in your team’s personal lives, weekends, evenings, and what motivates them outside of office hours should matter and will, ultimately, determine how they show every day. Gone are the days of compartmentalizing your life and leaving your personal life behind when you walk through those office (or virtual office) doors. Professional and personal lives collide whether we like it or not.
Continuous Growth
Development isn’t a one-time event; it’s a lifestyle that should continuously evolve to support the gaps of the individual, the collective gap of the team and more importantly, the growth and development gaps of the leader. The leader sets the tone and if the leader is underdeveloped and modeling 1.0 leadership behaviours and strategies, guess who the team will model?
If your team doesn’t have these elements, it’s not a high-performing culture – it’s just survival mode with a smile.
What Does Toxic Sales Look Like?
Let’s call it out: toxic sales culture is everywhere. It’s the “always be closing” mantra taken to extremes, where team members are pushed to hit impossible sales targets and who are (secretly) unmotivated to perform at the level of the expectation. Here’s how to spot it:
- Hyper-Competition: Sales reps view their teammates as rivals instead of allies. Trust is nonexistent.
- Fear-Driven Leadership: Instead of supporting their team, managers use threats to drive performance. (Pro tip: this doesn’t work or it’s very short lived)
- Burnout as a Badge of Honor: Exhaustion is glorified, and work-life balance is a joke. More hours do not = better performance.
- No Room for Growth: Coaching and mentorship? Forget it. You’re either a superstar or a failure.
Toxic sales culture might deliver short-term results, but it’s a ticking time bomb. Eventually, the team falls apart – and so does the reputation of the organization.
What Is a High-Performance Sales Culture?
A high-performance sales culture isn’t just about hitting numbers. It’s about building a team that consistently delivers results without sacrificing sanity. Here’s what it looks like:
- Big Picture Alignment: The team isn’t just chasing sales targets; they’re aligned with the company’s vision and mission, and they respect their sales leader.
- Empowered Salespeople: Reps are trusted to make decisions and own their process. No micromanaging needed. You hired them for a reason.
- Data-Driven Strategies: Metrics aren’t used to punish; they’re used to improve.
Team Wins Over Individual Ego: Success is shared, not siloed. - Resilient Mindsets: Challenges are opportunities, not reasons to panic.
If your culture doesn’t empower your team to thrive, it’s not high-performance – it’s high-stress.
How to Fix a Broken Sales Culture & Build a High-Performing Sales Team
Ready to ditch the toxicity and build a winning team? Here’s how to get started:
- Kill the Ego: Sales isn’t about lone wolves; it’s about the pack. Foster collaboration and cut out behaviors that fuel selfishness.
- Set Realistic Goals: Unrealistic targets destroy morale. Align targets with market realities and individual capabilities.
- Invest in Coaching: A weekly slap on the back isn’t coaching. Provide ongoing, meaningful development so people feel seen outside of the dollars and cents. Top down and model what you preach.
- Celebrate the Right Wins: Don’t just reward the top performers. Recognize team players and long-term contributors too.
- Stop Micromanaging: If you don’t trust your team, you’ve already failed. Give them the autonomy to succeed.
- You work for them: If everyone on your team thinks they work for you, you’ve already set the tone (and not a good one).
- Prioritize Well-Being: Burnout isn’t a KPI. Create an environment where people can perform without sacrificing their health.
- Focus on the Bigger Picture: Help your team connect their work to the company’s mission. Purpose drives performance.
- Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill: Skills can be taught, but a bad attitude will poison any position on your team.
The Cost of Ignoring Sales Culture
Companies that fail to invest in their sales culture pay a hefty price. High turnover, poor team performance, and a tarnished reputation can cost millions. Worse, it makes attracting top talent nearly impossible.
Instead of managing dysfunction, why not create a thriving sales culture where your team feels empowered and engaged?
Final Thoughts
Your sales culture is the make-or-break factor of your team’s success. If you’re stuck in the old-school mindset of cutthroat competition and fear-based leadership, it’s time to wake up. High-performing sales teams aren’t built on intimidation – they’re built on trust, collaboration, and purpose.
So, ask yourself: is your sales culture setting your sales team up to win? Or are you just keeping the bench warm for players who will eventually tap out?
Ready to transform your sales culture and build a high-performing team? Book a free consultation today and take the first step toward lasting success!
Book a Free ConsultationWelcome to the grind!
– Shelley West | Chief Revenue Officer, C-Suite Sales Consultant
