A strong sales team used to just rely on a quality product, a compelling compensation plan and an effective way to track sales. While those are still very important to sales, there are 3 other steps you can take to make sure your sales team is stronger than ever before.
1 – Hire Millennials
You should always be constantly recruiting for your sales team to keep the atmosphere fresh and upbeat. The youngest generation in the workforce, millennials are confident, upbeat and more open to change than the older generations. They also haven’t developed any bad sales habits, so you can train them to the sales standards you want them to deliver.
Born in the world of technology and instant communication, they are also more natural at picking up new skill sets. The only caveat is that their expectations of work (and indeed their personal life) are sky high.
2 – Create a collaborative environment
Sales can be a tricky workspace. The minute one salesperson turns negative, they can often rub off on someone else and before you know it the sales environment becomes toxic. To make sure your sales team is strong and delivering results, you need to keep the positive atmosphere and attitude.
To do this, ask for their opinion on where they see the future of the company going and where they would like to be in that vision. This will help them feel like a part of the bigger picture and encourage them to deliver big results for the future.
Also involve them in the company culture, promoting the values of the company. This will help them to keep in mind the way you want the company to be portrayed in their sales pitches. Selling successfully in the long-term is as much about staying on brand as it is about closing sales. Make sure they know they are the first port of call you go to when you want to push your key company messages.
3 – Figure out what really drives your sales team
A set compensation or incentive programme is not always the best way to encourage your sales team to produce results. In fact, a flat set commission plan is often a deterrent that doesn’t push your salespeople to deliver outstanding results. Whatever plan you offer, make sure it aligns to your sales standards that you’ve already taught them. For example, if you want to drive more new business, offer a higher commission for new business.
However, you should also consider what is important to your sales team. Do they work better with flexible hours or are they more productive when you offer them a better work/life balance? Taking these things into account will help your sales team feel appreciated. From there, you won’t even need to push to get them to deliver outstanding results.
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