Enterprise sales is no joke. Whether you’re selling in B2B or not, most enterprises operate in limited markets, meaning your sellers are often fighting to change existing decisions rather than convincing people to make new ones. And if you’re leading those sales teams, you’re responsible for juggling quotas, territories, and your employees’ livelihoods.
So, how do you lead an enterprise sales team that crushes revenue goals? We asked Helen Fanucci, a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience managing high-performing sales teams at tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, and IBM, what she’s learned throughout her success. Here’s how:
1. Care About Your Team
Empathetic leadership starts with genuinely caring about your people. Get to know your team members as individuals—what motivates them? Why do they show up to work every day?
For some, the drive comes from a competitive spirit—they’re chasing the feeling that comes with a newly signed SOW. For others, it’s about providing for their families or achieving personal goals. Whatever the reason, understanding what motivates your team enables you to support them in ways that help them reach both their personal and professional milestones. When people feel seen and supported, they perform better—plain and simple.
As Helen Fanucci shared on the Growth Driver podcast, effective leaders aren’t just focused on business outcomes; they’re invested in the well-being of their teams. That personal connection can be the difference between a team that hits targets and one that surpasses them.
2. Set Outcome-Based Performance Expectations
Every sales team has revenue quotas, but let’s face it—those are lagging indicators. By the time you realize you’re behind on revenue, it’s often too late to course-correct. Instead, focus on leading indicators: How many new meetings are your reps setting each month? What’s the quality and quantity of open pipeline for the quarter?
Outcome-based expectations provide your team with actionable steps they can take to improve performance right now. Plus, when you connect these business outcomes to your reps’ personal goals, you foster a culture of ownership and accountability.
When salespeople understand how their day-to-day activities contribute to both their personal success and the organization’s growth, they’re more engaged and proactive. Setting clear, actionable expectations helps your team know what “good” looks like and empowers them to achieve it.
3. Address Under-Performers Early and Tactfully
In today’s hybrid work environment, top talent has endless opportunities—and keeping them engaged, productive, and motivated requires more than just quotas and KPIs. It calls for leadership that blends accountability with empathy.
Difficult conversations are part of the job, but avoiding them can have serious consequences. Underperformance that goes unchecked doesn’t just hurt revenue—it damages team morale. Top sellers want to be part of high-performing teams. When they see leadership tolerating mediocrity, they’ll start looking elsewhere.
The key is to address performance issues early and with compassion. Approach these conversations with curiosity and a desire to understand what’s causing the underperformance. Is it a skills gap, a personal issue, or something else? Once you understand the root cause, you can work together to find solutions.
As Helen points out, empathetic leadership isn’t about being soft—it’s about being effective. Top performers thrive in environments where excellence is expected and supported.
The Financial Impact of Losing Top Talent
The cost of losing top talent—both financially and culturally—can be staggering. Smart leaders understand that retaining high performers and reducing friction in their roles is essential to sustained growth.
Empathy, clear expectations, and early intervention aren’t just “nice-to-haves”—they’re critical tools for leading enterprise sales teams that crush revenue goals. When your team feels supported, knows what’s expected, and operates in a high-performance culture, the results speak for themselves.
Want to hear more insights on empathetic leadership in sales? Check out the full Growth Driver podcast episode featuring Helen Fanucci here.