What does it take to create growth across EMEA?

Having worked across key markets in EMEA like the Nordics, Germany, Benelux, Italy, and France, one thing becomes clear:

🧩 The markets are different. The patterns of success are not.

Yes – cultures, customer expectations, and buying cycles vary.

But when you look at the companies that consistently grow complex B2B business across the region, five things show up again and again:

🔹 1. Local strategy, global direction

Top-performing teams follow a clear commercial strategy – but they’re not rigid.

They have freedom to adapt based on local dynamics, buyer behavior, and deal complexity.

👉 Strategy gives direction. Local ownership creates relevance.

🔹 2. Account growth is built through co-creation – not pressure

Growth in key accounts doesn’t come from pushing harder.

It comes from building trust, understanding internal politics, and creating value with the customer – not just for them.

👉 The best salespeople act as strategic partners, not vendors.

🔹 3. Senior talent needs autonomy – but not isolation

Experienced reps perform best when they have:

✅ Clear priorities

✅ Ongoing coaching and sparring

✅ A shared learning culture

👉 Autonomy works when it’s paired with alignment and support.

🔹 4. Training is not an event – it’s a system

High-performing teams train continuously – not just once a year.

They don’t just focus on knowledge, but on the behaviors that drive real deals:

– Asking better questions

– Defending value

– Managing customer indecision

👉 Capability grows through practice, not PowerPoint.

🔹 5. Sales Leadership is the true multiplier

You can have strategy, talent, and tools – but without strong front-line sales leadership, nothing sticks. Nothing scales.

📊 Gallup found that 70% of the variance in team engagement is linked to the manager.

And yet… many companies spend more on CRM systems than developing their sales leaders.

Great sales leaders don’t just manage pipelines.

They coach. They clarify. They create the conditions for growth.

🧠 What’s your budget this year for developing sales managers?

🧠 Are your leaders being coached – or only expected to coach others?

👉 In diverse, fast-moving markets like EMEA, sales leadership is the leverage point for sustainable growth.

📌 The markets are different. The patterns o

f success are not.

Growth happens when strategy, collaboration, capability – and leadership – come together and stay together.

💬 What are you doing to equip your sales leaders to drive performance across markets?

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