Are We Collaborating? 7 Keen Ways to Determine if Your Sales Team Has Genuine Synergy

Introduction

Research from McKinsey shows that teams with strong collaborative cultures are more likely to be high performing. (Source: McKinsey & Company – The Organization Blog)

Sales leaders adore to mention, "Our group works collectively."

It feels correct. It sounds correct. Nonetheless, merely asserting it does not render it accurate.

Actual collaboration on a sales team extends far past weekly sync-ups or Slack chats. It has nothing to do with being close or exchanging a sales deck now and then. Actual synergy appears in the daily—how your Team is working deals, helping each other, and getting better together.

Here's the problem: most teams think they are collaborative, but they've never tracked it.

That ends now. Below are seven sharp, specific ways to know if your sales team truly has synergy—no fluff, no guessing. If your Team doesn't check most of these boxes, you're probably not collaborating—you're just coexisting.

Sales Team Collaboration Checklist

Not sure if your sales team is truly collaborating? Use this quick checklist to assess how your team stacks up.

Collaboration Indicator	What to Look For
1. Reps help close deals they don't own	Team members actively assist others' deals without being asked
2. Internal lead referrals close	Leads handed off between reps consistently turn into wins
3. Wins are shared and broken down	Successful deals are reviewed and deconstructed for team learning
4. Team creates sales resources, not just managers	Reps contribute templates, scripts, or strategies regularly
5. Reps coach each other weekly	Peer-led deal reviews, roleplays, or feedback sessions happen at least weekly
6. Smart conversations happen in Slack or CRM	Digital channels show active collaboration, not just status updates
7. Most victories involve multiple individuals	Deals regularly include contributions from more than one team member

1. Reps Regularly Help Close Deals They Don't Own

A high-functioning team doesn't operate alone. When real teamwork exists, sales reps come in to assist in closing deals that are not theirs. They may swap insights, hop on an important call, provide a tried-and-true resource, or add credibility when necessary.

If assistance is only available from the manager or the lone go-to rep, that's a red flag. That indicates everyone else is keeping their eye on their pipeline and thinks others' deals are not their issue. On a high-performance team, cross-deal support is the norm—and it occurs without being requested.

Start tracking how often reps contribute to deals they don't own. If the number is small, you are considering individual contributors rather than a cohesive team.

2. Internal Lead Referrals Close

Passing leads between reps is easy. But if the handoffs never close, something's wrong. Real collaboration means reps pass leads because they believe someone else is better suited to handle that buyer—and they trust that teammate to close it.

When handoffs become actual revenue, it indicates your Team is working as a unit. Reps aren't sitting on leads or playing games. They care about the Team winning, not about defending their quota.

Measure your referral-to-close rate if you aren't doing that already. If fewer than 30% of leads passed between reps result in a win, collaboration issues might be lurking in plain sight.

3. Wins Are Shared and Broken Down Across the Team

Each closed sale is an opportunity to make the Team better. But only if the rep breaks down exactly what they did. Not the fundamentals—actual context. The opening line cut through the clutter. The message that drove engagement. The objection that was turned into a close.

A team with synergy doesn't simply rejoice over wins—they learn from them.

Establish a routine of post-win deconstruction. At least every other week, select a recent victory and break it down in front of the Team. What was the magic formula? What can others replicate? That's how you turn one win into ten.

4. The Team creates Sales Resources, Not Just Managers

If your Team is only using last year's templates, it's not working together—it's riding. A good team produces and refines resources in concert. That implies reps are trading new pitch frameworks, convert-worthy email templates, or battle cards that close deals.

Each quarter, every rep should be making a contribution. A script. A slide. A tip that saved them from closing a difficult deal. When this is second nature, your Team is creating its brain—and is setting the bar higher for all of us.

5. Reps Are Coaching Each Other Weekly

Peer coaching is one of the most obvious indications of a collaborative team. It's where feedback is provided, deals are honed, and blind spots are corrected. And it shouldn't only come from the top. Reps should be learning from one another every week.

An hour of peer coaching per week—deal reviews, role-playing, or shadowing—makes a huge impact. Teams that coach together learn faster, close stronger, and develop genuine trust. Without it, reps falter in solitude and never reach full stride.

6. Smart Conversations Are Taking Place in Slack or Your CRM

Check inside your Slack channels, Teams conversations, or CRM notes. Are there people trading ideas, asking each other for advice, or hashing out strategies? Or is it just status reports and emojis?

A great team has a digital footprint. You ought to be able to see ongoing conversations where reps are seeking advice, providing solutions, and sharing success. If those streams are silent, it's not because everything's going wonderfully—because nobody's talking.

When the Team is more connected, so are the tools.

7. Most victories involve multiple individuals

Each deal has a story to tell. The inquiry is, who is encompassed within the narrative? A deal closed by one rep with no help from anyone else may be impressive—but if it's a regular occurrence, something's amiss.

Score each deal:

1. solo effort

2. assisted by one teammate

3.  The entire Team involved

Then, look at your average. If your team scores below 2.0, you're relying on solo performances. That's not sustainable. A team that wins together gets better together—and they do it faster.

Conclusion

Claiming your sales team is collaborative does not make it so. Actual collaboration manifests in your outcomes, your routines, and your everyday actions. When your Team is not assisting on deals, exchanging best practices, and coaching one another, you're not developing synergy—you're simply checking off boxes.

These seven checks provide you with a clear, candid method of assessing what's occurring within your Team.

So before you say "We collaborate" again, take a look at the data. Look at the habits. Look at the culture. For a deeper dive into how modern sales collaboration is evolving, check out What Does Sales Collaboration Truly Mean in 2025?.