The success of a sales organisation hinges on the performance of a sales team. Therefore, as a sales manager, it is crucial that you put together a good and motivated sales team. And just let this be a major difficulty. How do you put together a successful sales team? What should you pay attention to? In this article, we will give you a few tips.
The importance of a strong sales team
A sales team or sales force is the group of professionals within an organisation responsible for promoting the sale of products or services and consequently generating revenue. The main tasks of the members of this team include identifying prospects, contact them, convince them of the value of the product or service, and ultimately close transactions. This makes the sales team crucial to an organisation: without the sales team, it becomes difficult to build a profitable organisation.
As a sales manager, it is therefore crucial to build an effective sales team. This goes beyond simply hiring a few extroverted, smooth talkers. Building a strong sales team requires the right approaches to recruitment, training and leadership of team members. Below, we share our valuable tips for achieving this.
This is how you recruit the best sales people for your sales team
You may think that the basis of a strong sales team lies in hiring the best salespeople. However, that is not the full story. Before you proceed to invite candidates, it is crucial that you take some preparatory steps.
Map your sales process
Before you start looking for sales candidates, it is important that you have your sales process map out as best as possible. Dwell for a moment on all the steps involved in converting a prospect to a customer:
- Who is the ideal customer?
- How is prospecting done?
- How does a sales pitch go? How are objections dealt with? Which closing techniques are common?
- How is the follow-up of a prospect or customer organised?
- Which channels are being used on?
- ..
This step is essential for hiring salespeople because the way you(w organisation) approach the sales process can influence the type of candidates that will perform well in your company. In addition, an established sales process is a must to maximise efficiency.
Determine what sales skills the sales team should have
Much of the essential skills of a successful sales professional revolve around the right mindset. However, there are also some crucial skills that every salesperson needs within a sales team. These are some skills that should definitely be present within your sales team:
- Empathy
- Communicating clearly and convincingly
- Problem-solving thinking and selling
- Competitive analysis
- Time management
- Ability and motivation to learn
- Ability to build strong and long-term customer relationships
Of course, your organisation may require some specific skills in addition to these general sales skills. So map these out as best you can.
Create a standardised recruitment system
Setting up a standardised recruitment system facilitates objective comparisons between candidates and helps select the best fit for your company.
- This starts with formulating the job advertisements, which describe the characteristics of the ideal salesperson.
- In addition, it is useful to formulate some set interview questions; these should be asked consistently to each candidate.
- Further, determine (if applicable) which skills or personality tests candidates should take.
- Then define the different stages of the recruitment process and set clear criteria for successful candidates.
It is of course possible to use a recruiter for this purpose. Still, managing the recruitment process internally offers more control over who eventually joins your team.
When recruiting new team members, it is essential to look beyond the CV and really look at the person in front of you. It is crucial to assess whether this person fits within your sales process, with the sales culture of your company and whether they would work well with the other members of your sales team. It is not just about skills on paper, but also about the right personality and fit within the team and the organisation as a whole.
Beyond recruitment: driving a sales team to success
Building a successful sales team does not stop at hiring the right salespeople. Good salespeople are much needed, but they are only the foundation of a strong sales team. Consequently, the organisation or the sales manager must continue to take all kinds of actions after recruitment to make your sales team a success formula.
Set clear and achievable sales targets
Setting realistic goals is a powerful motivator for any sales team. It is crucial to set both individual and team goals, but these must be carefully balanced. Indeed, goals that are too ambitious can be demotivating, while goals that are too easy to achieve reduce team commitment.
It is therefore essential to formulate goals that are as achievable as possible, and translate them into concrete KPIs. One approach that has already proved very effective in the past is to set up a compensation structure offering incentives for achieving these goals. This can further enhance team motivation.
Ensure onboarding processes and regular sales training sessions
A salesperson is never done learning and improving themselves. Therefore, onboarding, training and coaching are also crucial factors in the development of a high performing sales team.
- Thus, sales training helps team members develop the necessary knowledge and skills to sell effectively. This is necessary to avoid wasting time and resources on methods that do not work.
- Through onboarding and sales training, all team members apply the same sales processes, techniques and messages. This ensures consistency in the way the company deals with customers, which increases credibility and reliability.
- Furthermore, it has already been shown that a sales training motivates the sales team by sharpening their skills and boosting self-confidence. This can result in higher commitment to work and greater dedication to achieving sales targets.
When onboarding processes and training are fully aligned with the needs of the team and the organisation, it will undoubtedly contribute to the success of (new) sales people. This effect will only be enhanced when learning moments are scheduled regularly.
Make adjustments through sales coaching
Sales training provides valuable insights to the sales team to improve their performance. Nevertheless, getting feedback from another perspective is equally crucial. It is not enough just to provide targeted training; it is equally important to regularly assess the team's progress and foster individual growth. Through continuous coaching and incorporate feedback, a sales manager can harness the team's maximum potential and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Create a positive sales culture
Better a good colleague than a distant friend. In particular, a fun sales culture contributes to team motivation and engagement. Therefore, it is extremely important to create a positive sales culture that is not only sufficiently challenging, but puts sales professionals at ease and allows them to communicate openly and freely.
- Two-way communication is essential, with team members not only receiving feedback but also having the opportunity to express their own ideas and suggestions.
- Moreover, regular team-building activities help strengthen relationships and foster a sense of belonging within the team.
By integrating these elements, a sales manager can create a working environment that is not only productive, but also enjoyable and supportive for all team members.
Building a successful sales team: conclusion
In conclusion, building a successful sales team is a crucial responsibility for any sales manager. This task requires careful planning and execution, because without a well-functioning team, higher sales remain just an unattainable goal.
Want even more sales tips or are you interested in sales coaching? Then don't hesitate to contact contact us, Reachers will be happy to help!