Why Your Service Team Needs to Go Through Sales Training

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Through Goose, we run small group cohorts of various flavors for people to engage in topics relevant to their roles and focus within the company. One of our groups is for service team members that I run with one of our other coaches, Bret Brummitt. This month’s discussion had me laughing, and I wanted to share.  

The homework from our last session was to read one of the Service chapters in our book, The Salesperson’s Guide to Growing a Business, and watch a handful of videos from our sales training course, the MORE System.  

Asking service team members to engage in sales training is a big ask; I get it! But I put out the assignment with a smile and explained that we are not trying to turn them into salespeople. Despite my best assurances, it was not met with enthusiasm, no surprise. 🤷‍♀️ But they did it! 

This month, I kicked off the discussion by asking for an honest show of hands for how many rolled their eyes at the assignment and did not want to do it. I am delighted to report that I think everyone raised their hand, and we had a good laugh! 

Understandably, those who gravitate to sales have very different personalities from those who gravitate to service. If they were excited about it, I would have questioned whether they were in the right roles.

The big question 

So why are we making the service teams go through training their salespeople take?  

Because the traditional mindset that sales "sells" and service "services" is outdated. Sales and service are not completely separate functions; they’re parts of a relationship continuum where each role impacts the other.  

The service team is responsible for delivering on the promises made during the sales conversation, but does the service team know what was discussed and promised? A lot of times, that answer is kind of sketchy.  

Salespeople sell businesses on why they should become clients. Service teams are constantly reselling clients on why they should remain clients. If there’s a disconnect between promises and delivery, you find yourself with an unhappy client and likely unhappy team members.  

My question to you: How well does your service team really know what was promised during the sales conversations?  

The service team as a strategic sales partner 

When service teams understand the sales process, they far exceed a support function and become strategic partners with the producer in guiding the client’s success. Instead of passively inheriting clients after a deal is closed, they can actively contribute to the sales process: 

• Helping producers prepare for meetings through conversations and materials prep.  

• Attending meetings to hear client concerns firsthand and build rapport before the handoff. 

• Evaluating prospective clients through interactions and identifying opportunities or fit concerns. 

• Participating in strategic planning for the account and making recommendations based on their knowledge and experience, which is different from the producer’s.  

Having the service team involved in the sales conversations allows them to develop a first-hand understanding of expectations before the sales-to-service handoff. Their intimate knowledge of the client will reduce potential misalignments that can easily happen when the sales team operates without a governor, assuming that any new business is good business.    

Engaging the service team in the sales process allows them to gain additional insight into how client relationships will potentially unfold. When you have a team that knows the process from beginning to end, they become invaluable, providing company-level strategic input on improving the client experience. Producers can confidently tap their team for input about the account, and leaders can ask for input about refining ongoing management and renewal strategies across the agency.  

Service teams bring unique expertise to sales conversations 

Service teams have expertise that complements salespeople’s strengths, filling in gaps where necessary. They interact with clients daily and are often the first to hear about challenges, frustrations, and opportunities for additional solutions. This perspective makes them invaluable in ongoing strategy discussions. 

They can talk to complex service-related topics that may not be a salesperson’s expertise, ensuring prospects receive well-rounded, knowledgeable guidance. Some will fully own certain client relationships, providing a consistent, high-quality experience across all accounts. 

We want to see agencies arm their service teams with skills to help the producers and the agency increase service and step up the client experience. By spreading knowledge and skills among all team members, you can have more consistent and effective communication, guide clients through decisions with confidence, and reinforce the agency’s value throughout the entire client lifecycle.  

Service professionals are already doing consultative work — helping clients solve problems, recommending solutions, and maintaining relationships. That’s all sales. If they don’t understand the sales conversation, they miss critical context, making their roles unnecessarily harder. While service teams don’t need to do outbound sales, it’s ideal if they can recognize opportunities and reinforce value to maintain consistency throughout the relationship.  

Sales and service as a unified team 

Sales and service are two ends of the same client experience: the sales team opens the door, and the service team welcomes the client inside. A disconnect between sales and service leads to frustration because clients expect consistency between what is promised in sales and what is delivered in service. 

Service teams are SO MUCH MORE than the administrative function they’re known for. With the right training, they become strategic partners in client success, helping to strengthen relationships, creating a seamless experience from sales to renewal, and uncovering new opportunities. 

If you haven’t transitioned to leveraging your service team as an essential part of the agency’s long-term growth strategy, now is a great time to start working on it. 😀