Effective and Efficient: 3 Super Sales Management Techniques

TechsPlace | A Sales Manager is someone responsible for the productivity of the sales team, a very important factor for any organization. It is the performance of the sales team which has a direct co relation with the revenues earned, a brilliant sales team is an asset for any organization. However, brilliant sales teams are not found by accident, they are made. This is where your role as the Sales Manager can be most clearly understood and defined. It is the job of the Sales Manager to build the best Sales Team possible with the help of higher management and then to keep motivating them so that every member of the team gives their best to the country. The scope of Sales Management can be divided into three broad aspects. They are as follows:

Developing Sales Strategies: How well your team interacts with the customers, what features of the product they highlight, how they follow leads , these are all parts of a bigger war plan. Developing and innovating on these regularly is the hallmark of the Sales Manager destined to go places.

Mentoring the Team : Developing each Sales Person till they are performing to their best abilities is also the responsibility of a Sales Manager and makes up about 80% of what Sales Management is really all about.

Monitoring Performances: It is simply not enough to develop the sales representatives, their performance needs to be regularly monitored and goals need to be set. The process of evaluation is as important as mentoring as far as a sales team is concerned.

With all these responsibilities clearly chalked out let’s look at the techniques which goes into building a high performing Sales Team.

Man Management: As we have emphasized earlier a high performing sales team can make impossible possible and their performance is largely influenced by the Sales Manager and his or her special sales management skills. A good Sales Manager has an eye for talent and is noted for their ability to higher good people. Obviously good people do not come at cheap prices, so hiring the best out there might be more expensive upfront but this is an investment which is more than justified in the long run. By hiring able and trained people you save a lot of time and money on training programs.

The next step after acquiring the best people is to keep them motivated and focused on their goal. Manipulation does not sit well with a team of qualified sales people. They are mostly aware of the manipulative techniques as they use them on a daily basis, in their sales pitches. Instead clear communication and clear communication goes a longer way in raising the performance of the team. Individual communication and reviews are also helpful other than the team sessions as this way no member of the team feels neglected and you have a clearer idea of their individual strengths and weaknesses.

Sales people are mainly instigated by money and recognition. While the amount of money that you can offer them is limited, no such boundaries exist as far as the recognition is concerned. Studies have revealed that positive feedback and recognition makes people perform better while harsh criticisms have negative impact on performances, in the long run.

Technology: Keep an eye on new technology which could make your team work quicker and better. The cloud based CRM or Customer Relationship Manager makes it very easy to manage routine tasks like send emails, remind you of follow up schedules, follow up leads etc. When properly integrated with the system an efficient cloud based CRM can reduce a lot of boring workload and give your team more free time to actually prepare and deliver better sales pitches. Cloud based CRM software can be accessed by a range of devices and from any location. This makes it possible for your team for any data they need when they need it. These software carry a customer’s journey with the organization, thus useful data like purchase decisions and lead development patterns are available to team easily. Easy accessibility to centralized data has a great positive impact in the development of leads and the subsequent revenues generated. In order to choose the best CRM software carefully assess what are the areas in which the CRM could assist you, exactly how it would benefit your team etc. After you have chosen the right Sales CRM, make sure that your team has the training to reap its full benefits and make sure that they do not suffer from lack of confidence while using the software.

Team Spirit: It is essential for you, as the Sales Manager, to be an excellent team player. When you device a sales strategy be sure to include your team’s opinion and ideas, if you are unable to use them give an honest explanation. Identify and eliminate the weakness of the team and build up its strength. Keep a note on all the leads in the sales pipeline and carefully monitor how long it is taking for them to reach from one step to the next and how many of them are maturing in the end. This will give you a good idea about how well your team is fairing and regular reviews will keep the team from going slack.