Do you have an in-house sales team? Or are you one of those companies looking for independent sales reps? Regardless of how your sales team is assembled, your success as a sales manager depends on their success...
How To Increase Your Sales Reps' Salary And Develop A Killer Sales Team
One of the most important aspects of a company is its employees. Managing your employees can be challenging because you want to keep them happy and see them perform well at their jobs. But how do you know if your sales team needs change?
Sales reps who aren't meeting their goals may fall into one (or more) of four categories:
- Unmotivated
- Unqualified
- Incompetent
- Under-equipped
Here are five ways to improve performance from your sales reps and boost your company's bottom line.
Encourage Organization
When sales representatives aren't meeting their goals, it could be because they're disorganized. They may not have a plan for their work and don't know how to pursue opportunities.
If this sounds like your sales reps, you need to evaluate your operations, and figure out where there may be challenges or hurdles, and re-set a plan for meeting their goals.
Review All Data
Every sales rep needs a manager who is willing to take an honest look at their data. Whether you have an in-house sales team or hire someone independent sales reps, sales managers must review all the data generated by their employees.
Reviewing data can help identify patterns and behaviors that allow you to offer feedback, coaching, and direction when necessary. The process may also offer insight on how you can train your reps more effectively or implement different training programs to help them succeed.
Invest In Practical Solutions And Technology
Sales managers are often tempted to buy expensive, flashy equipment with hope it will improve performance. However, it is about the right tools to help your team be more efficient. Often, the solution is simple.
For example, if your reps are spending too much time on email or taking calls when they could be out selling, invest in a CRM or phone system that will reduce distractions. If they're not meeting goals because they don't know where to find prospects, invest in opportunity management with a platform like People Ai to collate all the data you require for every opportunity.
Another way to boost the performance of your sales reps is to encourage them to set their own goals rather than relying on quotas. Quotas are an impersonal way of measuring success and can force reps into behaviors that might not be best for your company's reputation and bottom line.
Provide Ongoing Training And Support For Your Sales Reps
Sales reps are people, not robots. They need guidance to understand how best to conduct themselves in the field, as well as opportunities to evolve their skillsets.
Sales managers who want to improve their team's performance should provide ongoing training and support. An experienced manager will offer value by ensuring that the sales reps have the tools and insight they need (e.g., product knowledge, pitching skills) and provide them with the guidance they need (e.g., how to respond when a customer says "no").
Be Efficient With Problem Solving
One of the best ways to improve your sales reps' performance is to truly listen to their challenges and make quick adjustments to solve them. This can be anything from using a more customer-centric approach or tweaking an internal process.
If they are unmotivated, you can motivate them by assigning them a bigger account with a higher commission. If they are unqualified, you might need to get them some training or take another look at where they need additional training. If they are incompetent, it might be time for a performance review and hard decision. If they are under-equipped, quickly get them what they need.
