Invigorating your sales team

“I”™m worried about my team of salespeople. They don”™t seem to be really focused. Sales results aren”™t great. I”™d expect the salespeople to come in early, leave late, put in the hours necessary to succeed. Instead, they”™re here by 9:30, out by 4. I don”™t have the time to ride them about their hours. I don’t know what to do.”

Thoughts of the day: Focus on goals. Don”™t sweat the small stuff. Build up capacity to perform. Weed out underperformers. Learn how to hire for success in sales. Recognize that as a sales manager, you are measured on the results of your team ”“ if it”™s not working, you”™re part of the problem until you”™re part of the solution.

Start with goals. Make sure that each person on the team has selected a set of goals that he, or she, believes is realistic, measureable and attainable. Ask each person to make an individual plan to achieve their personal goals, such as the number of prospecting calls, types of prospects to call on, and defined over a specific period of time.

Don’t worry too much about the hours. People can come in early and sit around, or stay late and waste time. At the same time, if people are working hard in the hours they”™re at work, and they don”™t get the results they want, putting in a few extra hours might help. It”™s a balance.

Focus on productivity. How many new contacts are being made? Teach the team that sales is a numbers game. The more prospects they are in contact with, the more likely a sale is to happen. Combine that with skill building by honing in on prospects that have high potential to close and moving the ball forward with those.

Check that each person”™s plan is realistic. For example, if the salesperson is currently calling on one or two new prospects per week, suddenly jumping to calling on 20 might seem beneficial. However, that jump is unlikely to happen and might become discouraging when the salesperson finds out how hard it is to quickly and significantly increase an activity.

Focus on building up sales capacity, which is like building up stamina and muscle in the gym. Do a little more each day. Recognize when a plateau has been hit. Hire a coach to oversee the training cycles.

Assess each person on the team. Are there any team members who have not bought into their plans? Any who are not following the plan? Are you hearing excuses? Anyone looking depressed rather than energized by the challenge of achieving success?

Not everyone is cut out for sales. Some people get worn out by sales and need to move on. Tolerating underperformers who are dragging down the energy of the team can eat away at the entire team”™s will to succeed. As a manager, you want to focus on encouraging the best, rather than trying to save the weakest.

A sales manager”™s job includes honestly assessing each team member. Talk with individuals who are having difficulty. Maybe they need to move on. Don”™t let them stay stuck in a rut.

When hiring, look for attitude. Avoid victims. Find people who see themselves as winners, who can realistically assess a situation and figure out how to make lemonade. It”™s more than a drive to succeed. It”™s an inner strength that comes through in good times and bad, focused on making the positive happen.

Sales is a game of independence and self-reliance. To be successful, individuals have to be accountable for what they can or cannot achieve. Not everything is going to go their way. They have to have the inner strength and belief system to pick themselves up and move forward. Make sure each and every team member has, and keeps that attitude.

Looking for a good book? Try “The Sales Manager”™s Success Manual” by Wayne M. Thomas.

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Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at (877) 238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi?  Please send it to her via email at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com  or by mail to Andi Gray, Strategy Leaders Inc., 5 Crossways, Chappaqua, NY 10514. Visit www.AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.