Scaling a Sales Team

Building, Training, and Motivating a High-Performing Sales Team

Building a successful sales team requires a clear vision, solid leadership, and continuous motivation. In my experience building teams at McKenzie Holland and Cloud303, I found that a well-rounded strategy, from recruitment to development, makes all the difference.

Hiring the Right People
From the start, I made it a priority that every recruit understood the core values of the company before they came onboard. At McKenzie Holland, a direct marketing company, this was essential. Candidates needed to align with our mission before even stepping through the door. This approach carried over to Cloud303 as well, where the team understood not just the "what" but the "why" behind our services. When recruits know your values, they can connect their role to the larger picture, and that’s a game-changer.

Training with Purpose
Training isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. For both companies, I established a comprehensive onboarding plan that focused on understanding where new hires stood from day 1. Identifying skill gaps early helped set realistic, personalized goals. In sales, especially, training has to evolve with the individual. Setting benchmarks that show progress over time gives people direction and clarity on how to grow. At Cloud303, we built training programs that empowered our team to become experts not only in AWS services but also in how to tailor those services to client needs.

Motivating Through Leadership and Innovation
In my view, a high-performing leader sets the bar for the entire team. Leading by example means showing the team how it’s done by being the best in your role—whether that’s through performance, dedication, or the way you handle challenges. At McKenzie Holland, I emphasized that when leadership performs at the highest level, it naturally elevates the whole team.

Beyond leading by example, it’s important to know your team. I always focused on understanding each member’s strengths and weaknesses. This allowed me to leverage strengths in key situations while helping team members improve in areas where they struggled. This personal approach kept the team engaged and continuously improving.

Incentivizing Success
Incentives are key to motivation. But it’s not just about big goals—mini-goals matter just as much. Breaking down larger objectives into manageable steps gave the team a clear path to success. At McKenzie Holland, these mini-wins helped build momentum, and at Cloud303, they kept the team hungry for the next challenge. We celebrated not only big milestones but also the small steps along the way.

Innovate to Keep It Fresh
A team will only stay motivated if you keep pushing the envelope. At both companies, I made it a point to introduce new challenges and opportunities. Whether it was new product offerings or fresh ways to engage customers, innovation kept the team energized and looking forward to what’s next.

The Results Speak for Themselves
With this approach, I built the top-performing sales team for Verizon in the tristate area through McKenzie Holland, and later, one of the best sales teams at Cloud303. In under four years, that team helped scale Cloud303 to a Premier AWS Partner, generating over $20MM in revenue.

In the end, building and leading a high-performing sales team isn’t about quick fixes or shortcuts. It’s about creating a culture of excellence, where every person is motivated to reach their potential and contribute to the greater mission. And when that culture is in place, the results naturally follow.

"Dream big, deliver bigger"

Sujaiy Shivakumar

Sujaiy Shivakumar is a 3x tech startup founder, with his latest successful venture, Cloud303, growing into an AWS Premier Partner with over 60 employees. All views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely his own.

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