After a rocky year, many sales teams around the world are trying to refocus their energy and attention on getting back to the basics. No doubt, our focus, and goals will return to building outreach and sales pipelines in order to grow business. That is why it is so important to learn essential sales team management skills.
Unfortunately, many will neglect to use one of the best lead generation tools available to help increase leads and grow their business quickly: cold calling.
There are several reasons sales professionals shy away from cold calling. Many aren’t sure how to do it successfully, they don’t have the time, they don’t have the appropriate sales team management skills, or they fear rejection. In fact, 48% of sales professionals have not got over the fear of making cold calls. Working with warm leads is usually a much more comfortable avenue, so they focus on nurturing those instead.
However, in doing this they’re missing out on a huge pool of potential clients and opportunities!
So, what’s the solution? How do you maintain cold calling and still keep your sales team management at the top? How can you build, motivate, and manage a sales team while pursuing every avenue of generating leads and bringing in more revenue?
It starts with outsourcing.
In this blog, we’re going to look at the value of outsourcing your lead generation cold calling, prospecting, qualifying, and lead nurturing process; how to manage a sales team and support your sales efforts and what key components of your sales success.
How to Build a Successful Sales Team
Building a successful team relies on fitting people into roles that magnify their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
This requires the sales team leads to understand not only what each of their salespeople is best at, but also what they enjoy doing.
So, it’s important to note that 63% of salespeople say cold calling is what they dislike most about their jobs.
The best solution to solve this problem and build a strong sales team is to outsource your cold calling to a third party. Not only does this take this undesirable task off the shoulders of your sales team without sacrificing leads, but it also allows them to focus on the parts of their jobs they enjoy most and are most cost-effective for you – working with well-qualified leads and warm sales appointments so they can improve their close rates and you can grow your business!
Outsourcing allows your salespeople to play to their strengths. They can work with the warm leads that are delivered to you via your lead generation partner, close those leads, and continue to nurture those relationships. A win-win scenario all around!
How to Manage A Sales Team
Managing a sales team is much easier when you partner with a well-established, process-driven lead generation partner who can handle your cold calling, prospecting, b2b lead generation, lead qualifying, and disqualifying, lead nurturing, and appointment setting.
Why?
First, it takes the guesswork out of your sales team’s successes. For example, if one of your salespeople was doing really well with cold calling, and one was really struggling, you could chalk it all up to luck. After all, the salesperson who was doing really well may have just been lucky in reaching the right people, while the other salesperson was not.
However, when every member of your sales team is handed warm, well-qualified leads, it levels the playing field. This helps sales managers measure and evaluate each salesperson’s contributions. It also helps them identify the strengths and weaknesses of each of their sales team member in order to put them in the right positions or on the right tasks or in line for additional coaching and training.
Outsourcing Also Helps You Manage A Sales Team’s Time More Efficiently
Let’s say that one of your sales team members really dislikes cold calling. They never feel motivated to pick up the phone, so they spend twice as much time in the pre-call research phase in order to delay having to make the call. But this same salesperson is a great closer. They have a way with customers that seals the deal.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to use as much of that salesperson’s time as possible on warm qualified leads and allow them to focus on closing more sales?
When aligning your salespeople in positions where they excel and leveraging their time as efficiently as possible, you’ll be managing a sales team positioned to excel. This not only increases the ROI of each of your leads but will also keep your pipeline full.
How to Motivate Your Sales Team (Even When Sales Are Down)
Before we talk about the way to motivate and manage your sales team, let’s take a look at some facts:
- Making at least 6 calls to a prospect can increase contact rates by 70%
- 93% of converted leads are closed after the 9th call attempt/touchpoint
- Half of the buyers don’t receive a second cold call from salespeople
However, the struggle of managing a sales team to make more prospecting cold calls when you know they feel uncomfortable is a surefire way to demotivate your team and burn them out.
A whopping 93% of the potential success of a cold call is attributed to the tone of voice used by the salesperson during a conversation. Things such as discomfort and anxiety in your salesperson’s voice come across on the phone loudly and clearly, leading to almost certain failures in the calls. This of course leads to more hesitation, more anxiety, and less confidence in making calls. It’s an unproductive downward cycle, and it’s fatal to your sales team management and your business.
What motivates sales teams most? Success! If you are willing to outsource your cold calling and lead generation to a third-party partner, more frequent success is more easily achievable for your team.
In fact, statistics show that salespeople can close warm leads at an astounding rate of 14.6% vs just 1.7% for cold leads. When your sales team is given well-qualified leads and warm sales appointments from your lead generation partner, you’ll see close rates improve. This, in turn, leads to more motivated team members.
Provide one-on-one Coaching
Coaching, especially one-on-one, is a powerful way to increase individual performances and boost overall team results. It may sound old-fashioned, but it works! That’s because coaching allows managers to address specific challenges. They can use it to quickly guide their team members toward improvement. Personalized coaching creates an environment of understanding.
One where team members feel valued and supported. Remember, everyone has unique abilities and strengths. Tailoring your coaching approach based on these abilities brings out the best in them and catapults them towards achieving their sales goals.
Sales representatives dealing with rejection or having an off-day can benefit significantly from a pep talk or guidance from a seasoned manager who’s been in their shoes before. In this way, sales leaders can share practical tips for overcoming adversity and winning over demanding customers. This personal investment boosts morale, maintains motivation, and ultimately leads to better sales outcomes.
Streamline the Sales Process
Having a streamlined sales process is like having a treasure map. It lets your team know precisely what steps to take, eliminating guesswork and making their work more efficient. This clarity simplifies decision-making immensely. It also reduces stress and boosts productivity.
However, streamlining the sales process is more than just creating structures. It’s also about eliminating unnecessary or redundant stages in your teams’ workflow. Ask yourself: are there repetitive tasks competitors handle that could be automated? Are certain procedures prolonged and can be simplified? Continuous evaluation and improvement of your sales process help you find hidden gems.
Drive Competition Amongst the Teams
There’s nothing wrong with injecting some fun into your work. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone! As a matter of fact, it can do wonders in a sales environment. When you pit teams against each other in a healthy way, they push harder to outdo each other. This can look like setting team targets and rewarding the team that hits their numbers first or the one that brings in the most leads.
This kind of competition stirs up excitement among sales reps, pushing them to step out of their comfort zones. It encourages creativity, adaptability, and resourcefulness – skills that are all vital for success in sales. But remember, it’s important to emphasize to your team that while they’re all competing against each other, they should still maintain mutual respect and support for each other. Because ultimately, every win benefits the whole company.
Never punish the losers. Instead, reward the winners with recognition and appropriate incentives. This way, you’re still creating an environment of collaboration while motivating your sales teams to perform better.
Cultivate a Culture of Winning and Achieving Targets
Imagine working in an environment where excellence is encouraged, celebrated, and rewarded. One where each team member is driven to push their boundaries and strive towards achieving (and even surpassing) targets. That’s the kind of culture you want to cultivate in your sales team. Consistently recognizing your team for reaching small and large milestones breeds a greater hunger for success.
Leading by example is the best way to implement this winning culture. As a team leader, sharing your own stories of triumphs and how you overcame challenges will inspire others to follow the same path. Maintaining positive energy, even during low moments, can significantly impact your team’s motivation and belief in achieving targets. Ultimately, it’s not just about hitting numbers; it is about creating a vibrant community of achievers.
Set Up A Motivating Reward System
Introducing a reward system is one surefire way to motivate your sales team’s hard work. Bonuses, incentives, and recognition – these have been proven to boost morale and productivity among sales teams. When representatives see their dedication and success being valued, they are likelier to kick their efforts up a notch. See this Harvard Business Review piece for more information.
Your reward system doesn’t always have to be monetary. Non-monetary rewards such as a ‘Sales Rep of the Month’ mention or an extra day off can be just as motivating. And although most team members will go after the big prizes (those impressive sales figures), it’s important to celebrate the small wins along the way too. This reinforces positive behavior and continuously urges them to achieve more in their roles.
Finding the Right Lead Generation Partner
Of course, using a lead generation partner to help ensure success in your sales teams is a big decision. Finding the right partner is critical.
When considering bringing on a lead generation service, look for the following key attributes:
- A good understanding of your industry, company, and target client
- A solid understanding of the B2B sales process
- An idea of what makes a well-qualified lead for your business
- And the ability to set appointments between your sales reps and prospects
Your partner should have the ability and drive to partner with you to reach your sales goals and unparalleled professionalism.
Research a company’s track record before you bring them on board and ensure they already have a portfolio of happy, satisfied customers.
If you’re looking for a lead generation partner with all of the above, check out Leads at Scale. At Leads at Scale, we believe that your potential to grow should not be limited by your internal bandwidth to generate quality leads.
