5 Ways to Supercharge Your Sales Team

Article Contributed by Sawaram Suthar

“The purpose of a business is to create a customer.” ~ Peter Drucker

And, growing sales graph is one of the main objectives of every company management; and to reach either of objectives, brand relies on its ever dependable sales team.  In the game of chess, the winner of the board at times is the one who more effectively utilizes the front soldiers. Same is in the corporate world, more often the top and bottom line of company is decided by its agile sales force. A sales team is not about only pushing the products to the customer, but it is very vital medium connecting brands to the customers and acts both ways, providing information to the customers and collects customer feedback for the company, for necessary adaptation as per client wish. “Customer is the King” says Philip Kotler, and to extend the phrase serve the king with your best man. However, Sales team is not mechanical or computer code, and is to be handled accordingly for effective results.

Clarity and Communication from Management –

In words of Brian Tracy, “Your ability to communicate with others will account for 85% of success in your business and life”. The objectives, mission statement and the vision of the company have to be clearly detailed out to all the employees especially the sales Team. Sales team is not mere pushers of the product or service to the customers but the representative of the company. Hence proper equipped sales person with ethos of the company and knowing the objective and goal, will deliver much better and efficiently to the company.

Communication plays a very important role, communication between management and sales team, between operational department and sales force. A proper detailed information of the product/services to be sold, gears up sales force up for the task.

Motivate the team –

As Bryan Eisenberg is quoted, “Our job as marketer is to understand how the customer wants to buy and help them do so.” And, to do the same, we need to have supercharged sales team. However, dishing out constant targets to the sales team maybe the necessity for the company’s bottom line, but certainly not the smart move always. Keeping sales team upbeat and agile through motivation delivers more than exerting pressure of targets. A motivated sales team can fight all odds out to keep the company targets. 

One of the way to achieve motivation for the team is create homely and family type environment, beyond internal competition; intra company competition has chances of bitterness, instead work with incentive scheme, with idea of co-optation and team work.

Inviting spouses of the team to the company functions, having fantasy sports organized quarterly or in time bound manner, not only keeps sales team mentally fit but also enthused to work for the company beyond target and commission set.

Providing with the company collaterals –

In current scenario, where information is flooded all around, it is prudent to equip the soldier of the company with best of the weapons, knowledge for the battle field. Also, having synchronized add lo sharpness to communication. It’s important, not only deliver one focused message, but also having one common synchronized style or stationery. Client looks for consistency and sales team with synchronized and common stationery only assists sales team in their job of convincing prospective clients.

It’s in the trend now a day, to hire professional trade printers, who not only suggests common theme for brochure, but same theme is then carried forward to all communication to other marketing collaterals. Few companies also extend similar theme to their social media engagement, as consistency of theme and communication plays very important role in assuring the customers.

CRM / Automation –

Although known as Customer Relationship Management, this tool is potent for the sales team. CRM is a wider aspect, and it details out various and all the engagements with the clients right from lead generation to after sales delivery, which also records other preferences of the customers. This huge ocean of data on customers among other thing arms the sales team to customize their offering and communication accordingly which suits the customers.

Informed sales tea, is more of valuable asset for company in growing the sales chart, as uninformed sales team may not able to convince the customer. Not only CRM prepares sales team but also increase customer engagement.

The tool also works digitally well, hence cuts out lengthy paperwork for the sales team, and readily available tool works out the performance and report chart, which also identifies the area to be focused by sales team and identifies the activity which delivers more result

Supportive and agile Customer service backend –

A responsive and agile support system for the client acts as boon for the sales team, which alleviates lot of undue pressure from sales team and helps them focus on their core work.

Having strong social media team assists sales team like none other, as 66.67 percent of internet users are also on social media and almost 73 percent of online purchasers uses social media to know the review among other things of the products.

Constantly updated informative website backed with agile customer service centers both web and phone, help sales team to reassure the client of after sales. A strong backend of informative and customer service department is most potent necessities of the sales team to have engagement with the customer with confidence and thus convince them for lasting relation with the brands

Author Bio

Sawaram Suthar is a digital marketing geek, helping small and medium business grow their businesses. Currently he is marketing consultant at Skyward Techno, Inc that provides CRM and ERP. Anyone can reach him @sawarams or via his blog thenextscoop.com.