Sales Butterflies: How to Re-Engage & Heal Your Sales Team

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.“

– Maya Angelou

PPP, RRF… PTSD.

In catering world, 2021 put us in triage mode juggling staffing and sales, yearning for the end of the season when we could finally take a breath and “figure it all out.”  Well, here it is.  You did it.  It was difficult.  You got through it, and so did your team.  Congratulations.

To truly move forward, we should process what just happened.  For those who fought for your future business, the riptide of Covid didn’t drag us under quickly.  For hospitality sales, it came in waves.

Initially, we might have lost some team members that we rationalized weren’t our tried and true.  No big deal.  But suddenly we took a sharp turn into crisis management sales.  In a blink, we were script pushers.  “Don’t sell anything we can’t be sure of, even if that something is happiness.”  We cried for our clients, but also for our creativity.

Crash.  We could feel the wave slam against us as we lost more of our sales team.  This time seasoned sales leaders we never thought would leave; the ones who had soul and drive.  They didn’t only leave us; they left hospitality, and it felt personal.

What our sales family experienced daily can only be categorized as trauma.

If you find yourself exhausted simply reading this, owners or team leaders overwhelmed at the task of healing the wounds, I see you.

Close your eyes.

Picture the faces of your sales team.

Now think of what they have endured.

On the brink of post-holiday booking season and the panic of variants, it’s time.

The latest Job Survey said 55% of Americans will be searching for new employment within the next 12 months; seeking out companies who will encourage and foster their personal professional development.

In most hospitality circles today, our scars are showing.

We have newbies with the want, but not the know-how, deserving to be bred building and protecting the book for seasons to come.  Senior staff find their plates so full; they are picking the lowest hanging leads to get through their days.

I promise you; your sales teams are yearning for better stories this coming year.

Let’s get them engaged and heal.  Let’s make butterflies.
Feed the salesperson; they will feed the team; the team will feed the business.