Building a sales team isn’t very difficult, but developing a successful team is another story entirely. With so many moving parts to consider, how can you set your team up to prosper?
Having the right people is only part of the equation; setting motivating goals and having the right company culture also play a big role.
In fact, a study by Salesforce found that 60 percent of salespeople say collaborative selling has raised their productivity by more than 25 percent, while more than half reported it has done the same for increasing their pipeline. A company culture that emphasizes collaboration is just one of the many ways you can get the most out of your sales team.
Tips For A Successful Sales Team
As a sales manager, the responsibility for meeting sales goals rests on you. The pressure in this role can be incredibly intense, so we’ve compiled a list of tips that can help you prepare your sales team for success.
Have The Right Management Consulting Training
You can see the effects of proper training in so many aspects of life, from athletes who have spent decades training exhaustively taking home Olympic gold medals to skilled surgeons saving patients’ lives after years of medical training. The stakes might feel a little lower in sales, but sales reps must also be well-trained, not to mention enthusiastic, positive and great listeners and problem-solvers.
Consultants can help sales teams stay on top of the latest trends in sales and related technology and understand how they can help them achieve more. They also need to know how to deal with difficult clients and react to uncomfortable situations. Sales training can address all of these aspects and more.
Hire The Right People
A sales team is only as good as its members, and it’s important to ensure you fill your team with the right people. This isn’t always as simple as going with the most experienced applicant, however. It’s important to consider who you already have on staff and what skills some of them could be lacking that a new hire might offer.
For example, it may be worth taking a gamble on a new salesperson right out of college if you need someone who is enthusiastic and willing to test out a variety of tactics. If you need to be more hands-off, the more experienced candidate may be the better choice.
Ensure Training For Team Is Consistent
Ongoing training is crucial for keeping your team on top of their game. New techniques are constantly changing the sales landscape, so keeping everyone up-to-date via regular and consistent training can go a long way toward ensuring everyone’s success.
Set Goals And Be Result Driven
You need to set clear goals that all members of the team can understand. These goals can be set at both the team and individual levels, and they need to be high yet realistic enough that salespeople won’t lose motivation. It’s important to avoid making the goals too easy to reach, as your salespeople might not feel the need to hustle and try as hard as they can at the end of the month.
Sales consultants can help you set reasonable goals. If you had 10 percent more sales last year than the year before, for example, perhaps you will want to set a goal of increasing revenue by 15 percent this year. Setting the right goals can be quite complex, but it’s the foundation of a good sales team, and it’s worth calling in experts if you’re unsure.
Communicate Often And Effectively
Regular communication is a key component of a successful sales team. An account manager or a person in a similar role should be providing updates on the team’s performance at a set interval, such as once a week. These discussions should address not only performance but also quality, feedback and follow-up. This is when goals and key performance indicators should be set, and professional development, such as sales training, should be discussed.
The account manager can be thought of as the captain of the team, analyzing the salespeople’s strengths and basing decisions accordingly. They should also be determining and sharing insights into the buyer persona with sales reps.
It’s also important to be open to accepting ideas and feedback from your sales team. You might be in a leadership role, but your salespeople may have some great ideas you haven’t thought of, and they almost certainly can offer a perspective you haven’t considered. Listening, asking questions and communicating can go such a long way toward keeping the sales team working in harmony.
Pay Attention To Your Company And Sales Culture
You need to create a company culture that fosters collaboration and encourages team members to make the best effort possible.
One way of motivating salespeople is by offering remote work opportunities, as many people value the flexibility and other benefits of working from home occasionally. Professional development classes, recognition of achievements, company-wide events or games, regular salary increases, and plenty of feedback and encouragement can all go a long way toward establishing a healthy company culture.
Keep in mind that a good company culture comes from the top down, so as the leader, you need to ensure all team members feel fully supported. A poor company culture can lead to high staff turnover, which will not only hurt sales but also compromise your company dynamic as you devote time and resources to hiring and onboarding new salespeople.
Talk With RCG About Having A Successful Sales Team
If you need expert guidance on preparing your sales team for success, get in touch with the professionals at RCG Workgroup to find out how their consultants can give your business the edge it needs to stay ahead of the competition.
