When you first hired your current sales team, they were all top performers. They strode into the office with a spring in their step. You could barely hear your own thoughts over the buzz of their outbound calls. That’s not to mention the clapping, back-slapping, and hooting and hollering when monthly targets were exceeded.
But oh, how things have changed since then. Numbers have been dropping this quarter, and you can feel the energy shifting. Your team’s stretch goals suddenly feel like laughable pipe dreams. That raucous cacophony of calls and congratulations has quieted to a depressive drone.
You look around, and you can’t quite figure out what caused the shift. The economy’s more OK than expected. And your team isn’t any less talented. Nothing’s changed, you tell yourself. But then you realize maybe that’s the problem. Your team is stagnating because you’ve stopped looking for ways to help them keep getting better and better.
Here are some ways you can start refocusing your team, lightening their load, and maximizing their progress.
1. Invest in the Right Tech Tools
To really optimize your sales team’s performance and streamline your workflows, you need the right software tools. You already know you can’t function without a best-in-class CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot. And the right project management and communication software can jumpstart your team’s productivity.
But you may not have given as much thought about what happens after you’ve secured the customer. A good contract management software tool can help you automate processes your team may have been doing manually for years. For instance, it can create contract templates, update clauses for legal compliance, and track stages of the contract lifecycle.
If you’re not already using gamification tools, consider adding one like Ambition or Hoopla. These tools use game theory and data analytics to motivate team members to push themselves and win. They can turn the pressure of ordinary office goal-setting into a playful, addicting activity.
Whatever types of software you decide to add, keep ease of use in mind. Wherever possible, introduce tools that are intuitive and integrate seamlessly with your CRM. There’s no reason to waste time doubling up on data entry or holding software trainings when your goal is increased productivity.
2. Strengthen Your Team’s Culture
When your team is really falling short of its goals, it can be tempting to consider new hires. But sometimes, simple tweaks to the team and company culture can go a long way toward improving effectiveness. As a manager, you can help redefine your team culture by building trust and setting the tone.
Transparent managers who welcome feedback and encourage a culture of information sharing are likely to see improved communication and performance. Managers who meet regularly with their team members one on one can also boost their reps’ job satisfaction and productivity.
Studies show that happy workers work harder, so foster a culture of positivity, not one of intense pressure and competition. Show your employees recognition when they succeed and reward positive activity, not just results. Give them positive reinforcement to boost their self-esteem and job satisfaction, and encourage them to build each other up, too.
And rather than firing and rehiring, give your team opportunities to learn and grow. Growth and education opportunities improve engagement, morale, and retention while giving employees new performance tools to move the company forward.
3. Personalize Your Approach
If you still need to cut some of the fat from your sales strategy, try aiming more for quality over quantity. Drop the cold calls and adopt a warm-calling approach. In warm calling, your team only contacts prospects with an interest in or relationship to your brand. Have your team dedicate their time to building strong relationships versus reaching out in a million directions.
Encourage your team members to carefully research prospects and connections before reaching out. By the time a salesperson contacts a prospect, they should’ve carefully reviewed the person’s LinkedIn profile and any relevant bio or company information. That way, they can tailor the pitch to the would-be client’s interests, experience, concerns, and unique needs.
Before the salesperson makes the pitch, they should take time to ask the prospect questions and listen carefully to their stories. The more they understand them, the easier it is to offer them the right recommendations and solutions.
When they reach out to potential clients over email, remind your team to personalize this content too. Mentioning a company initiative the prospect was involved in, a post they shared, or an article that quoted them are all great personal touches. Every action your sales team takes with a prospect should aim to build a deeper relationship.
Connection Is Key
What all of these strategies have in common is the ease of communication and connection. To build an efficient, top-performing sales team, you need team members that function like a neural network. In other words, they should be closely linked and able to transmit information between one another, their prospects, and leadership quickly and smoothly.
This kind of efficient communication requires trust, transparency, and top-tier technology — all things that you, as a manager, can provide. Instead of focusing your efforts on perfection, think about ways to continuously improve that sense of connectedness. Never stop looking for ways to support relationship building with strong leadership and smart infrastructural investments.
You already have a strong, capable team and some amazing resources at your disposal. Now your job as a manager is to remove the hurdles that keep your salespeople from moving forward. Don’t let clunky technology, an unsupportive culture, or bloated call lists get in their way.