A company is only worth as its most valuable asset. Of course, the most valuable asset of every business is the team that keeps its wheels turning. And while each department is important, those who need to be on top of their game are sales representatives. After all, they are the ones who make contacts with potential clients and rake in the revenue.
Even though sales representatives play a pivotal role in almost every company, there are certain problems that can spring up over time. Convincing someone to buy something from you is not easy and this is especially the case if you are running a digital marketing agency.
People often can’t figure out what exactly they are paying for, so you always need sales reps that can pitch an attractive idea and convert a lead into a closed sale. But, what happens when your sales representatives ‘loosen their grip’ and start being less productive? What should you do then?
Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to improve their productivity and get them back on track:
If there is no chemistry between your sales team members, there can hardly be any success. A business can only maintain a great work environment if the communication is effective. Great communication does wonders for team chemistry and it is definitely one of the crucial aspects in every workplace.
That is why it is important to build listening skills and thus avoid misunderstanding. Listening is a key component of all communication. Your team members have to listen to what their team leader has to say, but they also have to listen to each other and to their clients too.
Do your part and allow them to talk to their superiors in the office, have open-door policies to address different issues, and always conduct project debriefing. Another important step is to provide them with great channels of communication. Make it easy for them to share documents and graphs by introducing SharePoint and similar software into your workplace.
If you are not too tech-savvy, do not hesitate to use SharePoint consulting that will help you and your employees automate and organize everything easily. Collaborative software along with a file hosting service is definitely a combination that can make a difference when it comes to team communication.
Bear in mind that video content no longer serves your marketing goals exclusively. It can help you achieve your sales goals too. Video content is there to spur engagement and promote personalization, which is extremely important when it comes to sales.
With the help of great video content, you can remove a number of obstacles that occur during the buying process. People can’t always understand what you are selling and that is why video is so good. It offers the opportunity to create content that answers most questions a salesperson is usually asked, so you should send these videos to your prospects even before they talk to a salesperson.
The second important aspect is the human touch. Personalize your follow-ups and leave your sales video signature in the message. Among other things, it is possible to embed a short video clip into a website, social media, or email. This is an opportunity for a sales rep to establish connection easily and build trust on the spot. A simple video introducing the sales rep and describing their role goes a long way.
If you want conversions and revenue, your team has to execute successful sales prospecting. Ineffective prospecting is not only a waste of time but also a waste of effort and patience. That is why your team has to be on top of their prospecting game if you want to see improved productivity.
As you probably know, prospecting is an important step that acquires new leads for your company. Now, you can either have a dedicated prospector that gets fresh leads for your sales team or you need your sales reps to make sales prospecting a priority in their schedules on a daily basis. Either way, sales prospecting has to be effective – it is as simple as that.
Many companies hire SDRs (sales development representatives), as they see no point in wasting account executives’ time on prospecting. That is precisely why having a separate team in charge of finding leads and sorting them out might be a good idea. All in all, sales prospecting is a complex process, so you should either consider hiring a whole new team or simply help your current sales reps become experts at prospecting.
If you want better productivity, you have to manage your sales reps wisely. This is no easy task but management is one of the factors that can make a sales rep a rock star or a failure. That is why you need to use every strategy out there to become the best manager you can be and lead your reps by your own example of doing business effectively.
You have to set realistic sales goals for the team. Then, you have to communicate them clearly, since you need each member to understand what they need to do. It is recommended to set goals that at least 60% of your team can achieve.
You have to keep your employees constantly engaged because that is what keeps them more productive. Bear this in mind and make sure that the relationship between the team members is not strictly business. Instead, organize various team building activities to make your team members get to know each other better.
Yes, team building needs to be fun and exciting and it is there to help your employees get to know each other better but it can also boost productivity if they all have loads of fun. There are limitless options for team building activities you can explore. Monthly lunches or annual trips abroad will definitely not hurt your budget.
As mentioned above, you should take advantage of every piece of business technology out there if it can improve the team’s productivity. There are different types of management software for almost every industry. As a matter of fact, practice management software can do wonders for improving your sales team’s productivity, since it can automate a number of sales-related tasks.
Bear in mind that you should not criticize your team if you are not willing to provide constructive feedback afterward. Providing feedback when the team is underperforming is a must, as it can clear any doubts or misconceptions.
On the other hand, even when your team is performing well, it is wise to provide feedback. This will keep the productivity levels where they should be and it is great for employee motivation.
This leads us to the final point – keeping the team motivated.
Productivity can take a blow if you fail to make your sales reps feel motivated. Bear in mind that every employee who feels excited and appreciated is more likely to perform their job the best they can.
That is precisely why it is important to boost productivity and performance through motivational strategies. You don’t have to reward them financially. Incentives can take other forms too. For example, a prize can sometimes even be a bottle of champagne on the desk of a sales rep who reached or exceeded their quota for the previous month.
You could celebrate wins, no matter how big or small they may be. Every win counts, so you should let your reps know that their efforts are recognized and appreciated. Just be creative and remember that it is not always about money.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to boost the productivity of your sales team. But before you try any of the strategies mentioned above, do an audit first and try to determine why there are issues with productivity in the first place.
You can build from that once you have identified the areas that need to be improved. When you are done with the audit, you should not only use tips from this article but also every strategy at your disposal if you really want to make productivity levels hit the roof.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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