How to turbocharge your sales team

November 1, 2022 21

business sales — LINKEDIN SALES NAVIGATOR/PEXELS PHOTO

Your sales team can play a dramatically influential role in your business. But not always in good ways. If they’re underperforming, then the influence will be negative — and that can have serious repercussions for your business. On the other hand, if they’re performing well, then the sky’s the limit for your business.

It’s easy to point fingers at an underperforming sales team. But in truth, if you’ve hired correctly, then they won’t be the issue. The issue will likely be the framework within which they’re being asked to work. So let’s make sure that isn’t a problem. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some effective methods for getting the most from your sales team.

Give them freedom

If you’ve hired the right person for the job, then it’s in your interest to give them the freedom they need to work. After all, they’ll have the talent to do their job properly.

If you’re putting too many constraints on their job, then you’re holding them back. You’ll need to have some constraints, of course, but broadly the role should be one of freedom.

Decision-making power

Trust can go a long way. For one thing, it’s something that customers recognize. They know when they’re speaking to someone who doesn’t have the power to make decisions. Why lose a potential customer all because your employee didn’t have the power to grant a request on the spot?

Rather than giving specific powers to your team, it’s best to draw the line and tell them what they can’t do. Everything else will be fair game. In the process, you’ll help them to have valuable conversations with customers.

Effective sales tools

Your sales team will have the intellect to make sales. But they’ll also need the right system around them to support their efforts. You can think of sales software as a mighty tool that your team can use to turbocharge their sales.

With software such as Autotask, they’ll be able to manage their sales prospects from beginning to end within a single piece of software. More broadly, it’s best to approach your sales operations with an eye on the future — outdated sales methods won’t yield the results you need in this day and age.

Invest in their sales training

You’ll know that your team is talented. But that doesn’t mean they know everything. It’s a good idea to invest in their sales training from time to time. There’s always something that can be learned. Plus, this is an approach that can bring multiple benefits.

It’s good for your business in that you’ll have access to better-skilled workers, plus you’ll show that you’re willing to invest in your team, which can help to reduce staff turnover.

Boost your customer service

Your team wants to be focused on making sales. They don’t want to be appeasing customers because they’re frustrated with one aspect of your business. That’s not their job.

As such, it’s a good idea to look at investing in your customer service, in order to ensure that your customers’ needs are being met. If they’re not, then your sales team may be starting on the back foot, and that’s the last thing they need.

Your sales team will form part of the customer experience, but they shouldn’t be everything.

Regular one-on-one meetings

It’s tempting to leave your sales team to just get on with things if you feel that they’re doing well. But this isn’t a smart approach. It’s much better to bring them all in for one-to-one meetings from time to time. This will give them a chance to bring up any concerns, questions, or requests for additional help if they need it.

A sales team can perform well on a short-term basis without intervention, but if you’re looking for long-term success, which of course is the bedrock that all companies should be looking for, then it’ll be important to nurturing those talents.

You may also consider having group meetings with all your sales staff. It’s a way to get everyone on the same page and can be as effective as a training course.

You can’t expect your sales team to get results if you’re not investing in the team. There’s a mountain of competition that you’ll be up against it — or, more specifically, your sales team will be up against. It’s in your company’s interests to make sure they’re well-equipped for the fight.