Does your Sales Team need a ‘PEP-UP”
Author - Team Simple Logic
Then, it’s time to get thinking into action. Are you finding it difficult to get your sales team back on track? Tried every possible way, but still, have not achieved the desired results. It’s a problem that’s vexed multi-national corporations and start-ups; assistant managers and presidents of boards. Forget the pep-talk. Experts suggest using sales management and training techniques which also involve bringing in specialized software to boost sales performance. It becomes difficult to find out under-performing team members when it could be that the staff just needs guidance, encouragement and training to get back on track. A little professional nudge in the right direction is a more economical choice over the time-consuming and expensive process of hiring a replacement sales representative.
Appoint Great Sales Manager Many companies make the mistake of promoting their top salespeople to managerial positions. Often, even the most skilled salespeople don’t have the coaching dexterity needed to effectively guide a whole team. You need to employ a manager who is not only willing to engage the team, but to also identify weaknesses, and work directly with sales staff to overcome their challenges.”At the end of the day, people don’t leave bad companies. They leave bad managers.” Implement One-on-One Coaching Walk that extra mile. Take the initiative and talk to the team. Find out what are the hurdles they are facing? What makes their jobs difficult? What could they do better? What could be done to provide them to do better? Have a brainstorming session. That itself is an energy booster and the outcome is positive. Pick one problem at a time to work on to get better results. Which also means providing technical assistance and giving additional management support. Work closely with the individual sales representatives to understand the context of the problems. Pairing low-performing sales representatives with successful ones will do wonders. Limiting the coaching to specific groups of employees is often more effective than spreading it around the company as a whole. Have an action plan. Keep track of things.
Appreciate relevant salespersons or the team when there is some growth or some success.” Focus – and Generate Interest Losing sight of their primary objectives is normal behaviour with salespeople. Train them to introspect on their performance. Simple questions like, “Why am I here?” “What is my value- add?” “How have I performed in the last quarter?”, will help them to regain focus. Help them monitor their goals and objectives as part of a daily routine. In fact, there is efficient software in the market that can capture end-to-end sales functions.
Correct implementation of this software will help improve their success rate since they become free of many administrative and recurring operations. Empathize Defined as the ability to be in the other person’s shoes and understand his problems from their point of view. Sales Managers must take the time to identify with each team member’s concerns and address them accordingly. This creates a platform for transparency in communication and builds trust. Also, communicate your company’s expectations to the salesperson so he knows what he has to do and goes about doing it in the right manner. Negotiable and non-negotiable expectations have to be stated assertively to enable results. Stay ahead of the competition Change is the only constant. Managers must make this their mantra to success. Adopt the latest strategies, techniques and technology to create a super-efficient sales team. Just remember, sitting on the bench makes you stagnant, being out on the field, brings in triumph.