Is your sales team underperforming? Are they lacking motivation to improve their performance? If the answer is “yes,” then you’re not alone. According to a survey by Hubspot, 66% of salespeople are not reaching their quotas. But fear not, there are plenty of strategies you can implement to turn things around. In this article, we’ll explore 20 key sales management strategies that will help you lead your sales team to success.
Key Takeaways
Before we dive into the strategies, let’s highlight some key takeaways:
- Provide regular one-on-one coaching and feedback to develop salespeople’s skills.
- Encourage continued learning through ongoing training to keep information fresh.
- Leverage sales technology and tools like CRM to increase efficiency and collaboration.
- Streamline the sales process using playbooks based on top performers’ tactics.
- Build a positive culture with flexibility, development opportunities, and social responsibility.
- Understand each salesperson’s unique personality, learning style, and preferences.
- Inspire your team by being energetic, appreciative, caring, accountable, and honest.
- Use competitions focused on clear goals to boost performance.
- Invest time getting to know each rep’s selling style, motivators, etc.
- Hire driven salespeople and nurture the team for continued success.
1. One-on-One Coaching
As a sales manager, it’s essential to provide regular one-on-one coaching and feedback to develop your salespeople’s skills. While it may be challenging to find the time, coaching is integral to improving productivity, confidence, and abilities. Companies that invest in coaching see a 16.7% growth in annual revenue. By coaching your team through various customer interactions, they will be better prepared to handle difficult situations and close more deals.
2. Encourage Continued Learning
Comprehensive sales training is crucial for your team’s success. However, studies show that 87% of what people learn in live training is forgotten within 30 days. To combat this, create a strategic training plan for the year and reinforce previously taught lessons while adding new strategies. Encourage your team to pursue continued education to perform at their best and stay ahead of the competition.
3. Use Technology
Leverage sales technology and tools to increase efficiency and collaboration. Cloud-based CRM software makes collaboration easier and helps track calls and clients. Equip your salespeople with tablets and headsets for multitasking during client meetings and calls. Ensure that technology seamlessly integrates with your existing sales enablement tools and systems.
4. Streamline the Sales Process
Develop an effective sales process for your team by creating playbooks based on your top performers’ tactics. Playbooks provide your underperforming sales reps with the tools and information they need to succeed. While they won’t fit every situation, playbooks act as flexible guides that take your sales reps through the buyer’s journey.
5. Establish a Good Company Culture
Building a positive company culture is crucial for employee satisfaction and retention. Millennials, who make up a significant portion of the workforce, value a company’s culture. Provide flexibility, professional development opportunities, and focus on social responsibility. Celebrate employee achievements, show appreciation regularly, and organize events and sales team competitions to keep your salespeople engaged and excited about their work.
6. Understand Your Sales Team’s Differences
Recognize and appreciate the unique personalities, learning styles, and coaching preferences of your salespeople. Adjust your management strategies accordingly to increase the chances of each salesperson performing to their full potential. Consider using sales assessment tests to better understand your salespeople’s personalities and preferences.
7. Inspire Your Team
Inspiration is a powerful tool in sales team management. Be energetic, appreciative, caring, accountable, and honest. Help each salesperson see their potential and motivate them to maximize their abilities. Creating an inspiring environment will motivate your team to excel at work, resulting in better sales results and increased revenues.
8. Drive Competition
Creating a competition within your sales team is a great way to boost performance. Define clear goals and keep the rules simple, fun, and rewarding. Use competitions to focus your team and encourage friendly banter. Recognize and reward the winner to foster a positive and competitive atmosphere.
9. Get to Know Your Team
Knowing your sales team on an individual level is essential. Understand their selling style, motivators, strengths, and weaknesses. Connect with them to build meaningful relationships, increase trust, and motivate them effectively. Engaged employees have 21% higher productivity rates, so invest time in getting to know your team.
10. Build a Winning Sales Team
Building a winning sales team starts with hiring driven salespeople. Use sales aptitude tests to assess candidates for motivation, work ethic, competitiveness, and persistence. Hiring the right people, providing thorough training, and creating a positive team culture will lead to increased sales, higher retention, and reduced turnover expenses.
11. Cultivate a Winning Sales Team
Beyond building a winning sales team, nurture it for continued success. Provide the necessary resources and support to help your team hit their quotas. Tailor your approach to meet the needs of each individual rep. Create your own goals and track your progress to lead by example.
12. Identify Sales Team’s Barriers to Success
Identify and overcome the barriers that hinder your sales team’s success. Help salespeople overcome the fear of rejection by changing their perspective and providing them with scripts to address common customer concerns. Improve communication skills through active listening. Invest in content and social media marketing to establish credibility and understand your position in the market.
13. Help Your Sales Team Create Effective Sales Plans
Guide your sales team in creating effective sales plans. Define goals, create plans for consistency and progress, improve time management and prioritization strategies. Encourage them to base their decisions on activities that close leads, generate prospects, and nurture leads effectively.
14. Start Early to Stay Ahead of the Curve
Anticipate potential issues within your sales team and address them before they become problems. Hire strong salespeople and provide them with thorough training and coaching from the beginning. Be proactive in identifying opportunities for further development and schedule regular one-on-one meetings. Keep sales reps on track by addressing issues early on.
15. Pay Attention to Seemingly Small Issues
Regularly check in with your sales team and pay attention to any negative trends, no matter how small. Addressing small issues prevents them from becoming significant problems. Provide additional training and coaching to boost confidence, skills, and job satisfaction. Catching issues early prevents setbacks and ensures sales reps reach their full potential.
16. Give Your Team Detailed Feedback
Provide specific, actionable feedback to your sales reps. Focus on their strengths and provide suggestions for improvement. Give them new techniques to implement and track results. Empower sales reps to take ownership of their development while keeping you informed.
17. Identify and Communicate Both Team and Individual Goals
Clearly communicate both team and individual goals to increase your chances of meeting company targets. Set realistic goals that match the skill set of each salesperson. Additionally, set developmental goals to build a strong sales team. Schedule one-on-one meetings to discuss strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. Collaborate to define specific skills to improve and regularly check progress.
18. Make Sure Your Sales Team Knows Competitors’ Offers
Encourage your salespeople to stay informed about your competitors’ offers. Have them complete a SWOT analysis for your company. By knowing the competition well, your salespeople can anticipate objections and sell your product better. Roleplay scenarios where they counter customer concerns about choosing your offer over another.
19. Celebrate Individual and Team Wins
Recognize and celebrate your sales team’s wins. Celebration increases job satisfaction, productivity, and motivation. Regularly sit down with sales reps to discuss successful strategies and how they can be implemented in future calls. Schedule debrief sessions after big wins to capture insights, identify best practices, and brainstorm ways to incorporate proven approaches going forward.
20. Set High Goals that Are Realistic
Set high but realistic goals for your team. Stretch goals can boost confidence and drive your team’s performance. Set goals that around 60-70% of your team can reach, without risking discouragement or a lack of fulfillment when goals are met.
In Closing
Leading your sales team to success may seem challenging at times, but by implementing these sales management strategies, you can make a noticeable difference. Remember, building a strong sales team starts with hiring the right people. Invest time in recruitment, training, and creating a positive team culture. Transforming an underperforming sales team into a high-achieving one takes time and consistent effort, but with persistence and commitment to continuous improvement, you can build an empowered, thriving sales team.