Manage your Sales Team Remotely

The essential principles of sales management apply to remote teams as well, but when issues arise, it's not as simple as getting up from your desk and strolling down the hall to obtain answers. Here are some steps sales leaders can take to boost remote sales team productivity today while also laying the groundwork for efficient selling in the future.

Establish Procedures

Having solid processes in place leads to great sales. A sales process ensures that you have a well-defined and repeatable set of operations to follow in order to meet a specific goal, such as the number of deals closed or the amount of money earned. Because the team is dispersed and out of sight when working remotely, having a robust process in place is critical.
Increase the communication's speed.
To lead effectively in a remote environment, managers must develop ways to increase communication speed so that the entire selling team has access to timely, transparent, and comprehensive information about all client activity and engagement. Communication with management and other team members can be maintained using mobile devices, internet apps, and messaging. As members report their accomplishments against specified targets and standards, periodic sales team meetings via video or phone conferencing can help foster a sense of inclusion and accountability.

CRM Systems

Your team members will be able to keep track of all client contacts and activities using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, rather than depending on written notes or verbal updates. Because having all of the data in the CRM gives a holistic perspective of the interaction with the leads, being consistent in logging activities in CRM becomes essential. It enables the manager to assess each opportunity and guarantee that each contract is moving toward completion.
Give your salespeople the essential tools they need
Unified communications, network access gear, collaboration platforms, and sales enablement technologies are all missing from newly displaced sellers' tool kits. The epidemic is forcing businesses to improve their infrastructure in order to provide bandwidth, flexibility, and capability to their remote sales agents, allowing them to provide superior client experiences while lowering costs.

Constant product knowledge

As a salesperson, it's critical to stay fresh on product features, updates, and modifications so you can tailor your sales strategy and message accordingly. Walking across the room to talk to product development or the support team about what you're selling is no longer an option in a remote workplace. As a result, remote salespeople need to connect with members of other teams on a frequent basis to keep their product knowledge updated.

Encourage engagement with others

Encourage your team members to interact positively. Weekly meetings improve communication and provide an opportunity to the team to learn from one another. Meetings with the team on a regular basis allow you to address important issues and create new sales methods, and everyone benefits from them. Keep in mind that meetings should not solely be about work. The time-honored custom of conversing around the water cooler is lost on remote sales teams.
 

SLAs and clear handoffs

The reason your team is dispersed, having a clear structure in place for giving handoffs and Service Level Agreements in Sales is critical in a remote workplace. Sales is a collaborative activity, and your remote workers require a dependable and efficient way to collaborate. SDRs, for example, must regularly transfer qualified leads on to Account Executives and work with them to progress leads through the pipeline toward closing.

Incorporating passive and active learning techniques
The majority of remote workers rely on passive learning resources like videos, seminars, lectures, and presentations to learn about sales practices and principles.

CONCLUSION

When you don't have the personal or social contact that an office atmosphere provides, one of the biggest hurdles for any remote team member is motivation. As a result, salespeople may lose motivation and feel like they're not contributing to a common goal. Even quick visits to a central or regional office can provide a sense of recognition and accomplishment that is difficult to replicate through virtual contact.