Step G: Leading the Way

Hello Reader,

We’ve made it! We’re now in the final week of the 7 Figure Sales Programme, and this lesson is your bonus step… your next level.

Now, before we continue, I just want to drive home how important this is.

Remember that this is some of the most valuable information on sales you could ever receive. As I mentioned in lesson one, this is what I use when I coach, train and mentor sales representatives at massive companies. It’s also what I use to coach my own sales representatives at one of my own businesses.

So, to prove how serious I am, I’ve put these emails together for you as a downloadable resource, which you can get here: James White 7 Figure Sales Blueprint.pdf (it's a big one, give it a minute).

Because I want you to use this as your go-to playbook for your sales career, so I recommend you save this document to your desktop home screen so you always have quick access — that’s how valuable I know it is.

Okay, now let's get back to the final lesson. So you’ve made it through 6 weeks of some of the most holistic sales training, now let’s dive into the 7th and final one…

You’ve mastered the sales process, built strong foundations, developed the right mindset, sharpened your prospecting, understood your buyers, perfected your selling, and mastered your closing. Now, it’s time to take everything you’ve learned and step into the next level, Step G.

Step G is all about what happens after you’ve won the deal. It’s about leading yourself, your team, and your clients toward long-term success. In short, it’s about leadership.

So let’s take a look into the big office where the leaders sit and see what it’s all about…

G1. Management and Leadership

The foundation of sales success

Effective sales leadership sets the tone for success. Sales managers and leaders must create and maintain a culture of accountability, motivation, and continuous improvement.

Here’s how you do that:

Lead by example: Demonstrate the attitudes, work ethic, and behaviours you want your team to embody.
Clear expectations: Ensure that every salesperson understands their role, responsibilities, and performance metrics.
Regular feedback: Schedule structured one-on-one reviews to assess performance, address challenges, and provide guidance.
Support and development: Provide coaching, mentoring, and skills training to help your team grow.
Recognition and rewards: Celebrate wins – big or small – to maintain morale and reinforce positive behaviours.

Example:
Say you're leading a sales team at a tech company. Your sales team is consistently underperforming, missing targets, and lacking motivation. Instead of waiting for results to improve on their own, you can schedule a structured one-to-one every Monday. You review call recordings, identify areas for improvement, and set small, achievable weekly goals. You also recognise and celebrate progress in team meetings. Over time, their confidence grows, and performance starts to improve.

Schedule a weekly one-to-one with each salesperson or one with the whole sales team (depending on time and size of your team) to review progress, address roadblocks, and provide coaching. Ensure every meeting has a clear agenda and action points.

G2. Hiring & Onboarding

Finding the right person and setting them up for success

There are two approaches to recruiting sales talent:

Build: Develop a young, inexperienced candidate through structured training, mentorship, and gradual skill development.
- Pros: Lower hiring cost, tailored training, long-term growth potential.
- Cons: Longer ramp-up time, impact on team while training.
Buy: Hire an experienced salesperson who brings industry knowledge and potentially an existing customer base.
- Pros: Faster impact, industry expertise, potential new business.
- Cons: Higher salary expectations, potential for job-hopping, risk of cultural misalignment.

The best approach depends on your long-term business strategy and available resources. Regardless of the route chosen, hiring should be proactive rather than reactive. Waiting until you have an urgent gap can lead to rushed decisions and costly mistakes.

Onboarding for success

Effective onboarding is the difference between a thriving new hire and one who struggles to adapt. A structured onboarding process should include:

Company vision and values: Ensure alignment with company culture and objectives.
Product knowledge: Deep dive into your offerings, their value, and unique selling points.
Sales process and tools: Train on CRM systems, outreach strategies, and sales methodologies.
Target market and competition: Provide clarity on ideal customer profiles and market positioning.
Clear expectations and performance metrics: Set measurable goals and define success milestones.

A well-structured onboarding program reduces ramp-up time, boosts confidence, and improves retention.

Example:
Let’s say you’re hiring a new salesperson for your financial services firm. You decide to hire a graduate with strong communication skills but no sales experience (so you choose the ‘build’ option). The first week of training can cover company culture, then product training, and followed by shadowing senior reps by week 3. By week four, they’re making calls under supervision. After three months, they’re confidently handling sales meetings and booking deals, proving the investment in training was worth it.

Before hiring, decide whether you need to 'build' or 'buy' talent based on your business goals. Then, create a 90-day onboarding plan that covers company culture, product training, sales processes, and performance expectations.

G3. Metrics & Compensation

Aligning performance with business goals

A well-defined compensation structure and performance metrics drive motivation and ensure alignment with business objectives.

Setting key performance indicators (KPIs)

KPIs should be clear, measurable, and aligned with sales goals. They might include:

Number of calls made
Meetings booked
Deals closed
Revenue generated
Collaboration and team contributions

Compensation and incentives

Base Salary + commission: A balance between stability and performance-based rewards.
Bonus structures: Align bonuses with strategic goals such as customer retention or upselling.
Transparency: Clearly communicate how commissions and bonuses are calculated to maintain trust.
Fair and achievable targets: Ensure goals are challenging yet realistic to keep motivation high.

Example:
You have a SaaS business and offer software subscriptions. Your sales team is focused on closing deals fast. However, you notice a high churn rate because customers aren’t staying beyond the first year. To fix this, you adjust the commission structure so that reps earn a higher bonus when customers renew after 12 months. This shift encourages the team to focus on long-term customer success, leading to better retention and increased revenue.

Review your current compensation plan and KPIs. Ensure they encourage the right behaviours, not just short-term wins. Adjust bonuses to reward both performance and long-term client success.

G4. Mentoring & Support

Developing your sales team for long-term success

Ongoing support is critical for salespeople to reach their full potential. A structured performance management process should be:

Consistent: Applied equally across the team with clear evaluation criteria.
Transparent: Salespeople should understand exactly how their performance is assessed.
Regular: Frequent one-on-one meetings to review progress, set goals, and address challenges.

Support shouldn’t just be about fixing problems. It should also be about growth and continuous improvement.

Example:
You manage a growing sales team, and some of your junior reps are struggling with handling objections. Rather than letting them figure it out alone, you pair them with a top-performing rep for mentoring. They have weekly sessions where they role-play common objections and refine their approach. Over time, they’ll gain confidence and start converting more leads into customers.

Set up a monthly peer mentoring session where salespeople can discuss challenges, share strategies, and learn from each other in a structured environment.

And that’s it for Step G: Leadership.

You’ve now completed the 7 Figure Sales Programme! You’re not just an ordinary salesperson anymore; you’ve now got the knowledge to become a strategic and confident one. Not to mention an influential sales leader as well.

But remember, this is only the beginning…

The best sales professionals never stop learning, improving, and growing.

Because now that you have the skills, the mindset, and the strategy to make a real impact…

The question to always keep in your mind is: “What’s next for me?”

Whatever it is, go after it with confidence. And if you’d like, you’re welcome to hop on a call with me to discuss it.

I’ll be waiting to hear your success story!

Until then, keep leading the way.

James