How to Build a Successful Sales Team

How to Build a Successful Sales Team
  • Opening Intro -

    Your business needs to increase its sales, but you are finding it difficult to raise those sales by more than 1 percent per month.

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That’s a 12 percent annual increase, but you want to obtain a 25 percent increase for the year. You have your work cut out for you, but it is an attainable goal provided you incorporate the following measures as you move forward.

Create a Blueprint

You need a blueprint to define your goals and show how you will reach them. Your blueprint should provide guidelines on the goal to attain, how you will get there, what each department’s responsibility is and who on your team will do what to make it happen.

Be very specific on how each step in the process will be carried out. Outline the best practices for reaching out to new customers, serving your current customers and expanding your business. Invite your team to contribute suggestions and choose the ones that best fit your initiative. Train your people to carry out their responsibilities and plan to reward those that go above and beyond your base requirements.

Assign Duties According to Sales Roles

Your sales team is composed of a diversified lot of personalities. You have Mary, who is excellent at introducing new people to your products. Then there is John, who feeds off of Mary’s sunshine to close each deal. Rebecca is great at customer retention, while Paul is respected for problem solving.

Most sales teams are divided into two or more roles: sales development and account representatives. The first group may be adept at bringing forth leads, the second for closing deals. Assign people to the roles that best suit them and consider further narrowing these groups to geography and other categories, if helpful. People should be in the roles best suited for them, where they will most likely shine and help your business.

Increase Team Member Productivity

Find ways to help your team become more productive. Analyze every step in the process to eliminate redundancies as well as to help them complete their tasks more efficiently.

For example, if you own a retail outlet with a large showroom, you might equip your people with iPads to help them check on inventory with the customer by their side. Eliminate cash registers by allowing sales people to record orders, arrange for delivery times and complete the customer buying process rapidly.

Hire Smart Always

If you need to hire new team members, you should carefully choose people who are motivated and are ambitious. They should bring with them past sales experience, the right people skills and possess the competency to win over new customers.

You also need to provide incentives to help your staff reach higher. You have a base target in mind, but there should be higher levels that your staff can attain to in a bid to reap greater rewards.

For instance, your account executives may be rewarded for closing a deal. On top of that, if they sell an extended warranty plan or upsell a product, then an additional reward should be made. Be careful here: you need a team that knows how to back off when a customers doesn’t want the extra services.

Provide Advice First

People are busy. And their busyness usually means they’re usually not into fielding cold calls. This is what will set your business apart from the competition and increase your sales by recognizing how best to approach most customers.

Instead of introducing a product up front, your team should empathize with a customer’s needs. That means discovering what bothers a customer most and figuring out how your product can solve their problem. If you come across more as an advisor than as a salesperson, you may not only earn their respect but their business.

Sales Considerations

Small businesses should constantly evaluate how their sales campaign is faring and adjust accordingly. As the business owner, you want to generate a healthy environment where your team is appreciated, your customers are satisfied and your brand is not just growing, but thriving.

See AlsoYou Can Attract New Customers to Your Store

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Categories: Sales Planning

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