Sales teams are the lifeblood of any company. If you’re a new manager, it’s important to learn how to lead and motivate your sales team to achieve success. In this guide, we will provide you with tips and advice on successfully managing a sales team.
Be thorough and thoughtful when hiring: Whether you are an existing employee of the company asked to take over the sales team or a recent hire, you must build a sales team of your choice. A well-functional sales team is created on the foundation of trust. And if you can’t trust the people you work with, your team is sure to crumble. So, the first step to leading a sales team is building one. Make sure you choose people that match your ideas and thought process. In doing so, don’t mistake diversity for collusion. As important as it is to hire people that match your thinking, it’s equally important to hire people that challenge your ideas and bring something different to the table.
Define an effective team structure: Once you have your team in place, it’s important to establish an effective team structure. This means understanding the role of each team member and how they will work together to achieve success. For example, will you have a lead generation and a sales development team? Or will your sales team be responsible for both generating and developing leads? Both approaches have pros and cons, so it’s important to decide what will work best for your company.
Know your team: How best do you know your sales team? How well do you know their likes, their dislikes, and preferences? Since sales is a personal process, each person does it differently. More often than not, a sales process/ pitch is made up of the salesperson’s individual quirks, likes, and dislikes. Knowing your team from the inside out will allow you to discover who is good at what. Unless you are looking to put everyone in the same container, it’s a good idea to know your team and for your team members to know each other. So, you can trust your team when it really comes down to the wire.
Set clear goals: The next step is to set clear goals for your team. What are you trying to achieve? How much revenue do you want to generate? What key performance indicators (KPIs) will you use to measure success? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can start to develop a plan for how your team will achieve these goals.
Be involved without being overbearing: Nobody likes to work with their manager breathing down their neck. But that doesn’t mean you can afford to let go of the reins completely. As a manager, it’s important to find the balance between being involved and overbearing. You need to be available to answer questions and provide guidance, but you also need to give your team the freedom to do their job. If you’re constantly looking over their shoulder, they’ll never be able to reach their full potential.
Communicate regularly: One of the most important aspects of leading a sales team is communication. You need to be able to effectively communicate your vision and goals to your team and provide feedback on their performance. This means setting up regular check-ins, whether they are weekly or monthly. It’s also important to create an open and honest environment where team members feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback.
Provide adequate resources: For your team to be successful, you need to provide them with the resources they need to do their job. This includes leads, market intelligence, sales tools, and training. If you don’t give your team the resources they need to succeed, they will quickly become frustrated and disengaged.
Motivate your team: Finally, you need to find ways to motivate your team. This can be done in many ways, such as offering commissions or bonuses for meeting sales targets, providing sales training and development opportunities, or simply showing appreciation for a job well done. Whatever method you choose, it’s important to ensure that your team is motivated and engaged with their work.
Provide feedback: One of the most important things you can do as a manager is to provide feedback. This feedback should be both positive and constructive. When something goes well, let your team know! But don’t forget to address areas that need improvement. Provide specific examples of what went wrong and what could be done differently next time. By giving your team regular feedback, you can help them improve their performance and reach their full potential.
Leading a sales team can be a daunting task, but it can also be incredibly rewarding with the right approach. Your goal should be to create an open and honest environment where team members feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback.
