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Make your business thrive in 2014 – Part 3: Create a winning sales team

Posted by vernonsimpson on January 9, 2014

In the last two weeks we have been talking about critical things that you must do to make your business an outstanding success in 2014

So let’s imagine that you have done your SWOT analysis, developed your strategic plan and you have taken a hard look at one of your most critical resources and that is your sales team.   It has become clear to you that if you don’t have a sales team that sizzles, you’ll struggle mightily in the coming year.

Poorly managed sales staff and a lack of a systematised sales process is one of the biggest problems I see business owners make.  However, all of this can be corrected with an effective Sales Management System.

This week and next week I am going to show you how to do this. Let’s get started!

1. Develop Key Performance Indicators for Your Sales Team.  First things first, you need to know what specific numbers your sales team needs to hit in order make your business thrive.  This sounds simple enough, but you’d be surprised at how many businesses fail to calculate these numbers!

Of course, it’s not as simple as just setting some arbitrary standard and leaving it at that.  To be most effective, you need to base these numbers on actual, past results – so that you’re not creating goals that are either so high that they’re unattainable, or so low that they don’t stretch anyone.

2. Tie Your Employees’ Performance to their Compensation.  When your staff has a vested, financial interest in their results, their output will soar.  Some business owners shy away from this, but believe me when I say that almost nothing you do will prove more powerful in terms of increased effort and productivity.

3. Create an Environment Where Your Sales Staff Can Thrive as Individuals.  Everyone is different.  They are motivated by different passions and goals.  Effective sales managers understand this, and motivate their people by showing them how reaching their sales targets will help them achieve what they really want out of life.

One of the best things you can do is to have everyone on your staff create a “Vision Book” that outlines in specific, visual detail what they’re really working for: the car, the house, the vacations, the ability to give to the charities and causes that mean the most to them, the financial security, whatever.   I will say more about this in next week’s presentation, including a free resource that will help your team produce great results this  year.

 

Until the next time.

Vernon Simpson, Nydes Business Coach,

Coaching Business Owners and Executives to their next level of Excellence