The sales team has undergone significant changes in recent years. However, finding qualified salespeople has become difficult.
There has been a transformation from the salesperson who managed shipments and, occasionally, sales, to the sales professional who acts as a client consultant, with a university degree and a strong cultural background, providing significant added value.
However, this professional activity has not yet received the recognition it deserves, as the term “salesperson” is often undervalued, even though a company’s viability usually depends on their work.
Today’s sales department must be highly motivated, and this is where training plays a crucial role if you are looking for the best sales management tool for your lineup.
12 Tips for Running a (Successful) Sales Team
Managing a sales team is challenging, and since we’re all human, mistakes are inevitable. We’ll explore some tips that I believe we should have received years ago.
1. Orient yourself to the Results
- To achieve this, it’s essential to hire motivated and goal-oriented individuals.
- It’s also helpful to create a transparent work environment focused on key sales metrics.
- Bringing together competitive professionals in such an environment fosters the development of the entire organisation.
- Focus on results so that your team doesn’t confuse activity with productivity.
2. Identify Where and What you Need
- Before you can learn to manage a sales department, you need to create one.
- Determine which category your potential employees fall into: those who build something from scratch or those who work within an existing structure? The former start from zero, with nothing. The latter thrive when everything is already in place.
- Most people don’t possess both qualities. You need to understand the project’s stage and the type of salesperson you need.
3. Manage Expectations
- Inspire your team and do everything you can to support them.
- When everything is going well, we all know how to behave, but if a team member displays unpleasant personality traits, it’s crucial to address the situation (if it’s worth it).
4. Hire Salespeople
- Make sure your new employees are receptive to constructive criticism. Give them a product demonstration. Then, ask them to explain their actions.
- And offer them your feedback. Evaluate them based on how well they absorb and learn from the input, not just on the demonstration itself.
5. Set the Bar High
- When sales targets are ambitious (but achievable), their attainment is guaranteed by teamwork.
- Achieving only 70% of an ambitious goal is better than achieving 100% of a mediocre one, provided there is a collective and shared understanding of what needs to be accomplished.
6. Incentivise your Team
- There’s nothing better than a motivated salesperson. Motivation can be achieved through money and by displaying results on a special scoreboard.
- Scoreboards with complete visibility of results and small prizes work very well. Of course, these are compatible with cash bonuses.
7. Make Learning a Priority
- Training is essential. Incorporate continuous learning into your team’s culture.
- This needs to be invested in training and professional development.
- Sales teams must develop skills in competitive analysis, prospecting, opportunity management, planning, and professional communication, as well as complete training and other income streams.
8. Keep in Notice the Relationship Volume vs. Value
- The most valuable employees (those with high salaries) should dedicate time to smaller-scale (but more critical) activities, such as strengthening relationships, generating referrals, and facilitating collaborations.
- Less valuable employees, in turn, should focus on larger-scale activities, such as converting prospects into customers.
9. Avoid a “one-size-fits-all” Methodology
- It would be helpful if your team included people with different personalities. Your role is to guide and support them.
- It would be beneficial to shield them from company politics.
- It’s irrelevant to their work, and they should focus on the task at hand. Each person should be approached differently.
10. Specialise Early to Increase Sales
- If you don’t treat all your salespeople equally, you should group them according to their preferences and strengths: Do they prefer working with large clients, or are they better at building relationships with small businesses?
- Are they more knowledgeable about specific sectors than others? Section your potential customers and your sales team so they can interact with them effectively, especially as your company grows.
11. Design a Transparent Organisation
- Transparency means that everyone should know how the team is progressing.
- The best sales teams know each member’s goals and their progress in achieving them.
- For example, the number of calls made per day or the time spent on the mobile.
12. Plan and Distribute your Accounts Carefully
- Naturally, you want to give your best salespeople the best opportunities, but you also need to maintain balance through a fair system.
- Try to ensure that your team feels there are opportunities for everyone.
- This means continuing to invest in new talent, developing them, and keeping the team motivated.
Incentives to the Sales Team
Most sales teams receive a salary composed of a base salary and a commission on sales. This is the main incentive: achieving a high commission percentage at the end of the month, which will increase their overall compensation.
But this isn’t the only incentive you can offer your team. Below, I’ll show you several examples of incentive programs for various situations.
1. Inducements to Maintain a Good Sales Team
- Maintain a positive work environment, offer flexible hours, and reward employees with extra days off for exceeding their goals.
- Organise monthly after-work team events to strengthen relationships and have a good time.
2. Non-Monetary Incentives
- A company can establish agreements with other service providers and offer its employees, for example, movie tickets, gym memberships, discounts on university tuition, or continuing education courses.
- In short, the sales department is the core of any commercial company, as it serves as a crucial link in the value chain and is responsible for maintaining the company’s brand image.
- Quality products and excellent service help ensure long-term customer loyalty and help retain and expand the customer base.