How To Better Align Sales with Your Brand’s Goals, Culture, & Values

Selling today isn't just about a single purchase. Consumers want to feel good about their purchases and the brands they do business with. They want ongoing support. They want to know someone will be there for them in the future.

Sales aren't just sales. They're relationships. And if you're in the business of selling franchises, the relationship should be your goal. That's how you grow brand loyalty. This is important across all industries, but especially in franchising.

You know this and I know this. But does your sales department know this? Have you thought about whether their goals and compensation align with your brand's goals, culture, and values?

No matter what you're selling, it's vital to get your sales department running the way it should, to get the right people, the right goals, and the right compensation all working together to build your brand for the long haul.

Build the right team

It takes a special kind of person to make it in franchise sales. These people are independent, goal-oriented go-getters with strong personalities. Managers have to hire carefully and look at more than just sales ability.

Does this person like the lifestyle your company represents? Do they want to be part of what you do? Are they willing to do it the way you need it done? Make sure they are a good fit for your team. A salesperson can be a rock star on their own but not add value to the company.

You're not just selling franchise locations. You're selecting the people who will represent your brand for years to come. Your team needs to be choosing the right people, not just selling a license.

Make sure to place people in positions where they will be a good fit and work well with the team. If they're in the wrong position, they won't be happy and their work will suffer. Build a workplace environment that appeals to everyone and work with your people. Touch base with team meetings and one-on-one time. At a minimum give quarterly reviews. Empower your sales department to develop and grow and do what they do well.

Pay people for what you want

Compensation is a sensitive topic, but when you're talking about commissions you have to get it right to get what you want out of people. You have to pay sales people with the right goals in mind. People will do what benefits them even if their heart is in the right place.

So if sales compensation is based solely on the sale, your people will make the single sale any way they know how. If you want them to truly commit to creating customer relationships, reward them for it by retooling your compensation to reflect those goals.

You can compensate based on sales, survey results after the sale, ratings and reviews, returning customers, and how your people work within the team. You can balance rewards over several facets of job performance. Be sure to put systems in place to track those facets.

But don't rely on commission or compensation to take care of your sales team. They need more from you than money. If you want them to develop relationships with potential franchisees, model that behavior by developing relationships with them. Take care of them with great benefits, an involved company culture, work/life balance, and room for advancement.

A winning culture

Getting your sales department heading in the right direction is all about creating a brand culture that lines up with your own customer service values and corporate goals. Be real about who you are as a company and as a franchise, and make sure everyone on your team - across all roles - is on board. Live the talk, and check in with your managers to see if they're living the talk too.

If you build your sales department this way, your brand will see quality growth instead of one-time sales, building loyal franchisees for a stable future.

 Charles Bonfiglio is president and CEO of Tint World, a provider of automotive, residential, commercial and marine window tinting and security film services. With Automotive Styling Centers in the U.S. and abroad, each franchise location houses approximately 20 profit centers, ranging from in-store accessory installations to offsite sales and installation of residential, commercial and marine window tinting and security films.