James MeinckeSo you’ve built what you believe is the perfect sales team after a long process and thorough planning. You have people you truly trust working together and can see no reason to believe this group won’t work. But somehow, it feels like they’re not quite there yet. What could be missing?
There are a number of ways to get your team from the perfect starting point and into where their full potential can lead them. As their leader, what you can do is:
1. Provide sales training
Even if most of the people in your team have had previous sales experience, proper training after hiring is a crucial step. Aside from giving your employees updated knowledge and information on selling, you also need to introduce the methods with which your company works. Training is how you can guide them better on other aspects of the job to guarantee your entire team is on the same page.
2. Develop a proper sales process…
A murky process will make the chances of good results murky as well. Your entire sales process need to be as clear as possible so that everyone can go further and know exactly what to do. There are too many ways for a sales team to work together. However, if each member of the staff adopts a different process, it will just be messy and ineffective. Not understanding the process is enough for an employee to not get to where they can and actually disrupt their coworkers.
3. …but don’t be wedded to it!
Yes, having a defined process is super important, but remember: you can’t predict every possible outcome, need, or situation. While there is a need for order that can be fulfilled by establishing a process, there has to be room for flexibility and new ideas as well. Businesses are constantly changing, so do not be afraid to tweak or adapt as your company grows.
4. Set performance standards and goals
Now that you have your process figured out, the next step is to define what needs to be done and where your team is headed. After all, all this planning is made while keeping the final results in mind as well, right? Set realistic goals for your sales team to reach, so that they will know what they’re working towards. While doing so, remember that performance standards are also important. It will be the factor that can make or break a salesperson.
5. Analyze results and metrics
In your efforts to make your team reach their full potential, it is important to make sure that you’re going in the right direction. This is how you can keep them on the right track. As you make demands and plans for the group, metrics and KPIs will tell you what to do next. Metrics can be like a compass for your next instructions and can tell you a lot about what can be wrong and to do next.
6. Provide feedback – AND follow-ups
After checking on the results and making all the analysis and predictions needed, you need to inform your employees how they’re performing. Your feedback is needed so they know what to do moving forward. Giving feedback is a tool for boosting morale, providing guidance, and even recognizing an employee’s performance. But giving them the feedback isn’t enough. Following up is an important part of the process. In order to make sure you were heard and understood, touch base on any goals you made with that coworker and check on them from time to time.
7. Get to know your sales team
The best way to know how to get through to someone you manage is by getting to know them. In order to inspire a coworker, you must understand their own personal goals and even their plans for their future. It might seem like a lot to unpack in just one conversation, and it will take some time – but in the long run, it might save you some time, too.
8. Reward good performances
Boosting morale should definitely be a habit in the workplace in order to help salespeople continue thriving and reaching for their goals. A system in which there are rewards for good performances can make a difference in how far an employee will go. Whether it is a bonus, an improvement on commission, or even just a “prize”, anything besides verbal acknowledgment will not just be an incentive to do better, but also to continuously improve.
9. Encourage learning any way possible
To constantly learn is to evolve with the market. Continuous learning needs to be a priority so everyone can keep up with what’s happening and become better salespeople. Even you, the leader of your team, won’t have all the answers to every issue that might come up. Paying for courses, training, organizing workshops – every kind of learning method is valid.
10. Invest in technology and infrastructure
The demands have never been higher, and employees are often overworked and taking on more than they can handle. However, day-to-day tasks can be made simpler through the use of new sales apps or software. Another problem that can stop a team from getting to where they can is miscommunication and excessive bureaucracy. These can all be avoided through said technology. Having proper technology and infrastructure might seem like a luxury but it will make a difference in the end.
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