What does it say about the value of salespeople when even Silicon Valley relies on them to move up and to the right?

That's right. The bastion of tech business excellence is finally admitting that salespeople can play important roles in helping businesses grow – even if their businesses are already growing.

 This is big news, because most Silicon Valley companies have believed that their products would sell themselves.

But now, even companies with software flying off the virtual shelves are increasingly turning to sales teams. Dropbox, which once famously announced that it didn't need salespeople, is now using them even as the company's suite of products is selling at a sweet pace.

The challenge is helping the sales team keep up with company growth.

It might sound counterintuitive, but it's easier to sell when times are tough. When a company's sales are sluggish the sales strategy template gets sharpened, reaching goals becomes a matter of survival, and everyone rallies around the sales team.

When a company is growing, however, salespeople can sometimes find it hard to figure out how they fit in. Their motivation might waver, sales strategy templates gather dust, and some people might not even want the sales team around.

And that's why it's important to make sure they can keep up with your growing company. Here's how:

Emphasize outcomes

When a company is humming along, it can be easy for people to lip sync. Your job, as the leader of the sales team, is to make sure your sales team focuses on outcomes. You have to prevent people from confusing "activity" with tangible productivity.

The best way to do this is to develop a sales strategy template that is ambitious and includes meaningful rewards.

Set the bar high

Sales legend Zig Ziglar once famously said that a person's attitude, rather than her aptitude, would determine her altitude. With that in mind, make sure to set your bar high.

If your sales strategy template includes ambitious goals – and you hold your sales team accountable for meeting them – your sales team is much more likely to remain engaged, active, and productive than if you simply tell them to go out and try not to make any mistakes.

Invest in training

Sales training is every bit as important for fast-growing companies as it is for those that haven't yet hit their strides. If you embed sales training into your sales strategy template and then make it part of your company's culture, your sales team will always be learning. Its members will be developing fundamental skills, product knowledge, and be learning what they need to know about your customers. Together, all of these things add up to success – in both good times and not-so-good times.

Be judicious with account distribution

It's natural to want to give the best accounts to the best salespeople. But this might not be the best approach for your business – especially when times are good.

When times are good, consider spreading the love around. Give some of your junior salespeople opportunities to work with your five-star accounts. Younger salespeople are often hungry, driven, and eager to go above and beyond to prove themselves. If you show some faith in them early on, they just might exceed your expectations and create some healthy competition.

Don't forget about them

Even if your company is doing well, you can't afford to forget about your sales team. Make sure members feel appreciated. Recognize them. Reward them. After all, if Silicon Valley's best companies are relying on them to move further up and to the right, you should too.