Perhaps the most difficult job in any business is of the sales manager. The biggest challenge that he is presented with is not to consistently improve the sales numbers but also keep his team motivated.
To stay optimistic most of the times, sales manager do need some encouragement from the top management too to meet the needs of their challenging job. In order to occasionally pat them on their back for their undeterred stamina, you don’t need to spend a fortune or arrange special training classes with world-renowned coaches. The best ideas are those that are easily executable and don’t put on extra burden on administrative functions.
You can use the following tips to multiply the efficiency of your B2B sales personnel.
Ensure They Have Latest Technology
This doesn’t mean getting every latest gadget onto your sales team’s desk. All you have to do is provide them with tools that can assist them in their job. Obsolete tools will only lead to the retardation of sales and a highly demotivated team. Sub-standard equipment that doesn’t support the functions they are currently using is to cause a huge hindrance in their operations. This could cause the team and your business some serious losses which you would want to avoid at all costs. Therefore, it is very important that you equip your sales personnel with latest equipment.
When it comes to sales team’s operations, the two tools that can greatly assist them in their day to day functions are WIFI hotspots and tablets. They are extremely helpful in keeping your sales teams connected internally as well as with the Internet, making communication seamless.
The best way to optimize the performance of your sales personnel is to consider all the new inventions and technologies available in the market at the start of the year. This would help in deciding which tools you should choose for your team for that particular year.
Let Them Focus On Sales Only
Sales teams are only meant for getting the business some good sales. If you engage your sales team into the other functions of your business, they will not be able to serve the purpose for which you have hired them. Also it will cause a distraction from their work responsibilities, making it harder for them to streamline their activities towards garnering sales. Therefore, it is very important that you make sure that your sales team is only dedicated in improving your company’s sales. If your administrative tasks are unmanageable by you, consider hiring an assistant that can help you as well as the sales team in performing simple tasks so that your sales only gets higher with time.
Save Them Some Worry
Though this point may seem similar to the previously mentioned one, you can greatly work on your sales team productivity by saving them from different worries. Sales itself is the most worrisome job and if you load extra worries related to marketing or different departments, chances are that they won’t be able to cope with added pressure, and might even collapse. You should provide a seamless working experience for them so that they are able to arrange meetings, visit clients and close deals without any hindrance. This would help them stay motivated, optimizing the sales for your business.
Hold Frequent Meetings
Selling products for your business requires a lot of energy. To keep your sales personnel’s momentum up and running, it’s always good to hold frequent meetings with your sales staff. You can use these meetings to motivate them in case if they have been facing difficulty in closing some deals. You can also provide the team with updates about different strategies that they should employ to increase revenues and close hot deals.
However, if you are feel that you are not prepared to hold an upcoming meeting, it is best to use it as an opportunity to cancel the in-person meeting by sending a note or email well ahead in time. Though some businesses might regard this as incompetence at the top level, it is an excellent opportunity to take out time to carefully address business prospects and give detailed guideline to your sales team when you hold the meeting with them.
Train Your Crew
Regardless of the fact of how good your sales team is in closing deals with clients, their skills need to be pruned from time to time. Though the time spent in training your team will keep them away from actively pursuing sales, a rigorous training session will considerably improve their efficiency optimizing the sales experience altogether.
Hire Assistants For Appointments
Rather than making your sales staff to do all the dialing and setting appointments, it’s a good idea to hire an assistant who can deal with all the telephonic conversations. You can also consider getting services from outbound marketing companies that can provide you with appointment setting services. This way your sales personnel will be only focused towards closing sales deals rather than spending valuable time in arranging one.
Focus On The Sales Teams Strengths & Weaknesses
A sales team typically comprises of a few top performers, some average staff and then a few sales people who just get by. It is very important for you to understand the factors that make the top performers do their best and the reasons why some of the staff just gets along. Understanding the factors that help your performers get best results can help you in outlining a strategy that can be applied to all sales personnel, enhancing the overall productivity.
Without having to point towards anyone, you can generically speak about best sales practices and how everyone should adopt those. Focusing on strengths and ignoring weaknesses is a great way to build on a team’s potential and optimize sales.
