8 Tips for Managing Remote Sales Team
Let’s face it: Because of the on-set of the coronavirus pandemic, more and more businesses are now forced to adapt in a remote work environment.
This can be quite challenging for salespeople who aren’t used to selling remotely, as its quite different from doing it in person.
But if done correctly, this will allow you to elevate your selling process. Plus, it helps boost your team’s productivity to fill your sales pipeline within the comforts of their home.
In this post, we’ll be explaining how you can manage a remote sales team and make the most out of it.
Set Clear Goals and Expectations
To effectively manage your remote sales team, it would help if everyone knows your goals and expectations.
Come up with a document or plan that will clearly outline the individual responsibilities of every team member. Because you’re working with a remote team, you’re likely communicating through emails and other instant messaging apps.
If you don’t set clear instructions right from the get-go, you might end up confusing (or even offending) some of your team members.
So, you need to specify your team’s objectives, goals, and expectations when it comes to online communication.
Rather than just putting out an ambiguous statement like “This should be done ASAP,” you may want to say, “I need this work done tomorrow, at 5 PM, PST.”
Implement Processes
Although you have some excellent processes that work well, there might also be some things that your team isn’t well-received. Fortunately, this is a fantastic opportunity that you can improve upon these processes.
Setting up a streamlined process can protect you, your team, and your clients. That’s because it leaves very little room for errors and miscommunication.
When reviewing existing processes, then coming up with new ones, here are some essential areas that you might want to focus on:
- How you can process and track leads.
- How you can find an alternative to face-to-face sales meetings.
- How you can find a replacement for “in-house” sales feedback.
- How you can record and declare sales.
Risk management is essential when you have a remote sales team. Doing so lets you anticipate and be proactive in handling and averting a crisis.
Manage Sales Activities
The best sales managers want to keep track of their sales team’s latest activities. This is so important, especially if you’re working with a remote team because you can’t really see what they’re doing, or what they’re currently working on.
You don’t have the privilege to coach them when necessary, or as effectively as you would in person. That’s why you must use the right technology so that it will make it easier for you to manage your sales team even if they’re working remotely.
Provide Your Team With the Right Tools
One of the secrets to having a highly productive remote team is to have project management software to help back things up.
At the end of the day, you need to have the right project management tools. Doing so ensures that your remote team has a designated space where they can communicate and collaborate. Plus, your project management tool can be an excellent hub for all sales-related documents.
Ideally, the project management software that you pick should be able to help you with:
- Tracking project milestones and deadlines
- Assign tasks to different members of your team
- Automate your business processes
- Simplify your communication channels on various team and departments
- Provide every employee access to necessary information that can help them accomplish their tasks.
Encourage Engagement and Build Trust
Every manager should pay attention to their team’s needs but, at the same time, know how they can micromanage their staff.
Doing so shows that you trust your team’s judgment. It also provides them with a sense of autonomy so that they won’t feel as if they are being micromanaged.
Apart from that, establishing regular communication helps establish trust between you and your team members. Organizing weekly calls or meetings allows every team member to catch up, generate ideas, and share their stories and concerns. Organize bigger team-building events like virtual escape rooms or scavenger hunts from Escapely, and engage every member of your team, driving trust and cooperation across the board.
If the trust is missing, people won’t be compelled to help out others, especially if they believe that the same trust won’t be returned.
Building trust takes time. Nonetheless, it is essential to foster it when you are managing a remote sales team. That’s because you don’t get to see how they manage their day, and you rely on their output most of the time.
Determine and Track Metrics
As mentioned earlier, a team performance dashboard will allow everyone in the team what they’re currently doing or working on.
For one, it encourages friendly competition among team members. It also allows everyone to be accountable for their tasks or goals.
A monitoring dashboard can keep track of all your team’s metrics. It will also make it easier for managers to track their team’s progress, and allow team members to keep track of their goals no matter where they are.
Provide Regular Feedback
Another important aspect when setting up a remote team is providing them with regular feedback.
Make it a point that you’re offering regular feedback to every team member or your team as a whole. This can either come in the form of kudos, words of encouragement, or advice when numbers aren’t doing exceptionally well.
This can be done via phone, chat, email, video conference, etc. As long as this is initiated regularly to compensate for not having a physical office.
Motivate Your Team Daily
Motivating your remote team can be challenging. Lacking that human connection can demotivate a team member. That’s because a lack of socialization can dissociate themselves from their job.
But the good thing about sales is that it’s result-driven, so it will be the results that will do the talking.
One of the best ways to motivate your team is to include benefits or advantages when reaching those goals.
Managing a remote team isn’t easy. But you can apply the strategies we’ve mentioned in this article so that you can create a killer remote team that drives in results. Good luck!
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