Managing a sales team is difficult in the traditional setting, and doing it remotely is even more challenging. It involves figuring out the perfect balance between planning, effective communication, and maintaining team spirit.
In addition, you have to navigate through the ever-changing market and the complex dynamics of the sales process.
This article provides tips and guidance on managing a remote sales team. This is all the information you need to ensure your remote sales team is effective, motivated, and productive, whether you’re a business owner or a sales manager.
How Can Sales Team Work From Home?
Sales teams can work from home using digital tools and communication platforms. With just a few clicks, remote sales teams can connect with customers, make presentations, and close deals without meeting face-to-face.
Remote workers on sales teams are becoming more common. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote work models by companies. Sales teams can adjust, achieve their targets, and sustain productivity even during the global crisis by operating remotely.
This new flexibility has allowed salespeople to adapt to changing conditions and seek innovative ways to achieve their goals. More and more sales representatives are embracing remote work and seeing the potential for improved performance and success in the digital age.
According to this Forbes article, AT&T has seen a 400% increase in the use of online collaboration tools by businesses and home consumers. This indicates that video and online communication have become increasingly important in remote selling.
How to Manage a Sales Team Effectively
Follow these steps to manage a sales team effectively:
- Clarify Your Expectations and Goals.
To ensure everyone is on the same page, you must be clear with your team about your expectations and goals. Encourage an open discussion about what they have and need to accomplish, and give them the details about the performance evaluation benchmarks. - Train and Develop.
Organizing regular training sessions is essential for the development and growth of your team because it keeps them updated on the newest industry developments and sales strategies. -
Lead By Example.
Being an effective manager means leading by example. When you exhibit a strong work ethic and behave professionally, you gain the respect of your team members and serve as an inspiration and guide to them.
- Offer Helpful Criticism.
Giving your team constructive criticism is essential to guiding them in the right direction. A growth attitude is encouraged by giving them thorough but motivating feedback that emphasizes both their areas of strength and room for improvement. - Monitor Results and Offer Support.
Essential duties as a manager include monitoring performance and being available to offer guidance and support when necessary. Proactively recognizing problems guarantees that your group stays on course to meet the goals set. - Adapt and Continue.
By regularly evaluating your processes and sales strategies, you can quickly adapt them. Meeting your goals and optimizing team performance depend on your flexibility and willingness to try new techniques.
Read this LinkedIn article for more information on managing a sales team effectively.
7 Tips to Manage a Sales Team Remotely
Here are 7 tips on managing a sales team remotely:
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Invest in Good Digital Tools and Software.
When working remotely, most of your daily tasks include using digital tools. These tools must be accessible and user-friendly. However, you must carefully assess tools to ensure each sales team member receives secure access.
Two of the best software tools you can use for managing a remote team is TeamViewer and Google Remote Desktop. If you’re unsure which of the two should you use, check out this comprehensive review and comparison. - Be Thorough and Thoughtful When Hiring.
Hiring people who can work remotely is crucial if you want to work effectively with a remote sales team. Transitioning from an in-office to a remote work environment can be difficult, and not all employees can. - Communicate Clearly.
You can’t always talk to your team, even when working virtually, so figure out a communication method. Encourage them to connect outside the company’s routine operations to improve communication, enhance meeting productivity, and foster positive team dynamics.
According to this Forbes article, overcommunicating is the key to successfully managing a remote sales team. Staying in communication and asking for feedback is one of the best ways to make a winning team. -
Simplify the Sales Process.
Never leave your team without a plan. Provide them with a valuable and informative guide. Develop and simplify, but be strategic with sales processes that allow the members to meet targets and improve the quality of their sales presentations. - Regular Meetings.
Arrange regular team meetings to discuss significant problems and develop fresh ideas for sales tactics. It is to everyone’s advantage to take part, assess sales performance, and brainstorm ideas for improving overall sales success. - Create a Healthy Competitive Atmosphere.
Creating healthy competition can motivate remote sales teams to put in more effort and accomplish more. Having goals with corresponding rewards could help everyone stay enthusiastic. - Be Involved.
Remote workers are prone to isolation. However, with the help of technology, you can design virtual team-building exercises.
Schedule and create team-building activities such as games and challenges where members can work together to complete enjoyable tasks and win prizes.
Check this LinkedIn article for more tips about managing a remote sales team.
Benefits and Challenges of Managing a Remote Sales Team
While working from home offers many benefits, such as flexibility and convenience, it has also presented challenges for sales managers overseeing remote teams.
Here are some of the benefits and challenges of managing remote sales teams in detail:
Benefits of Managing a Remote Sales Team
Here are the benefits of remote sales:
- Cost Savings.
A reduction of overhead expenses is the main benefit for businesses. This is a result of not needing to run a physical office. Companies could then put that money aside for other projects.
Employers may also decide to hire workers from places with cheaper cost of living, where earnings are correspondingly lower. -
Sell internationally.
Hiring remote sales representatives globally enables them to market in their communities because location is no longer a barrier. You can also train sales professionals all over the globe. - Increased Output.
Remote sales management can help representatives better use their time. They can handle more leads and deals because there is less wasted time and more focus on their work.
Does your business need a bigger sales team? Find out how to scale up your current sales team here!
Challenges of Managing a Remote Sales Team
Here are the challenges of remote sales:
- Openness and Communication.
It can be difficult for a manager to gauge the workload of salespeople when they are not in the same location. The most important thing is to keep lines of communication open and constant so that your representatives may express their needs and feelings. -
Burnout and Stress.
Remote workers are generally prone to burnout and don’t always know when to stop working. Establish clear guidelines for considering themselves “off-duty,” whether for emails, phone calls, or any other sales activity. - Creating a Collaborative Setting.
Trust can be challenging to build and sustain in remote environments. Success is achievable if the team knows where to seek help and support, and that’s one of your roles as a manager.
According to Lojeski and Reily (2020) on Linkedin, authors of “How Organizations Lose Their Communication When They Go Virtual (And What to Do About It),” the lack of face-to-face contact can create a sense of distance and isolation that makes effective communication difficult.
Why Is Effective Remote Sales Team Management Important?
Effective remote sales team management is crucial for the success of a business. The success or failure of a business heavily relies on its sales team and ability to bring in new customers, develop relationships with existing clients, increase lead conversion rates, and more.
In addition to preventing employee dissatisfaction and burnout, managing a remote sales team effectively helps team members achieve their goals. No matter where your team members are located, it can increase productivity and encourage employee engagement.
Must-Have Technology and Tools for Managing Remote Sales Teams
Using the right tools and software, remote sales teams can monitor performance, automate tasks, and maintain organization with just a few clicks.
Remote sales representatives could spend more time on tasks such as interacting with clients and closing deals. Because of this, your remote sales team’s overall productivity increases.
Here are the tools and software for more effective remote sales team management:
- Communication Tools.
You need effective communication to manage a sales team, especially if members work remotely in different time zones. It’s critical to have communication tools that make sharing information, updates, and feedback easy. -
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools.
CRM tools are software that help with lead and customer tracking, sales management, and sales process automation. It facilitates following up with prospects, appointment scheduling, sending proposals, and closing deals.
- Productivity Tools.
Another crucial aspect of remote sales management is productivity since you need to ensure that your representatives are operating efficiently and not wasting time and resources. Some examples of productivity tools are Asana, Trello, and Todoist.
For more remote sales tools and software, check this LinkedIn article.
Set Your Remote Sales Team for Success
Managing a remote sales team presents several challenges. However, using the right tools, technology, and effective management strategies can also make it a successful and productive endeavor.
By implementing effective communication channels, utilizing collaboration tools, and setting clear expectations and goals for your team, you can ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards a common objective. You can lead your remote sales team to success with the right approach.
