Salespeople are among the most competitive workers in any business. Sales reps often operate in a system where the best performer takes home the biggest check as they chase ambitious revenue goals, always under pressure to close more deals. There are many benefits to this system, but it can also inadvertently foster a “lone wolf” mentality that keeps your sales reps from realizing their full potential. Professional rivalries taken too far also hurt collaboration and productivity within your sales team, with top performers keeping information to themselves, excluding others from conversations, and being afraid to share their secret sauce.

Incorporate one-on-one coaching. When you keep coaching your reps, the results will definitely be much better. Keeping an eye on the latest achievements in this niche offers a variety of advantages. You probably know that the area of sales is constantly evolving. So you need to make sure that your sales team is up-to-date with the current trends. You should always stay informed on the latest achievements in this niche and organize coaching sessions for your sales team.

Key Performance Indicators (or KPIs) are a must-have tool that allows the sales team to monitor and evaluate the progress. Simply put, KPIs allow you to focus on key activities that are very important for your business.

To define the right KPIs that will definitely resonate with your business, use the following tips:

• Define what results you expect
• Focus on quantitative measurements
• Never measure more than 10 KPIs
• Always measure KPIs every month or even every week

Start with data. Before you make any decisions about what to do or how to coach, start with your data. Look over call records, contact points, lead to close ratio, when those leads close during the day, etc. You’re looking for anomalies that could indicate a root cause of their struggle. For example: Are there far more follow-up calls to lead prospecting? Are they spending too much time trying to nurture current accounts? If they’re not feeding their funnel, then they’ll come up short on closing sales.

Salespeople, like most employees, improve through coaching and skills development.  If salespeople aren’t executing the defined sales process, they aren’t telling the company story, they don’t fully understand how products/services benefit the customer, it’s likely they won’t perform.  If salespeople aren’t exposed to methods to build rapport, discover the pain and build value, develop proposals, and ask for the sale, it’s no wonder they can’t perform well. 

Most managers set annual sales plans for their teams, and most of them also tend to struggle to create genuine buy-in around those goals. Diving into your sales plan without having your salespeople on board is like going to war without your troops. Your boots on the ground need to know what’s expected of them and what they’re trying to accomplish. Otherwise, their efforts are futile, and they won’t want to rush into battle.

The demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Manufacturing) skills within sales teams is representative of a seismic shift in sales strategy. This transition has been enabled by technology and the availability of information, both on behalf of the buyer and seller. While the salesperson used to be the primary source of information for their products or services, buyers increasingly have access to specs, samples, and independent reviews.

Resistance is hardwired in us and stems from fear of change, or fear of the unknown, but you can’t let that get the better of you. You’re up against a rapidly evolving business landscape and an even more competitive sales and marketing environment. Buyers are more connected, informed, and much further along in the sales process before they engage with a rep.

As a first-time sales leader, there are many lessons to learn, and more so now than ever, lean on your team to learn from them. You should also:

1. Help them stay organized beyond the CRM
2. Let the rockstars be rockstars
3. Never miss a one-on-one
4. Go out of your way to provide feedback on calls
5. Have them read Gap Selling
6. Be available when they are
7. Clear the way for your team

Never underestimate the power of giving regular feedback to your salespeople. With just under 60% of workers wanting feedback on a daily or weekly basis, according to PwC research, you can’t afford to rest on your laurels when it comes to talking to your salespeople about their performance. A structured process for two-way feedback is vital. Schedule regular meetings with each of the members of your sales to discuss their progress, what they can improve on, and what they’re doing well.