Team Players
Progressive MRO Distributor (November/December 1997)

Quote by Mitchell Roye

Team selling requires a different set of talents. "In the old days, the salesperson's role was to be a product pusher or route salesman. It's a whole different world now in terms of dealing with people, integrating cross-functional teams and utilizing project management skills," says Mitch Roye, managing director of the Cambridge Group, a consulting firm that deals with strategic sales and marketing issues.

Sometimes, that person should be allowed to perform solo. "The 800-pound gorillas or sales superstars can be destructive to a team," Roye says. "By all means, keep the sales prima donna on your staff because he or she turns in super numbers, but don't stifle that by making him or her work as part of a team. It will hurt performance and pull down team morale."