Increasing productivity is among the fastest methods of increasing sales in 2021. According to 79% of sales reps, improving sales reps’ productivity is one of the leading triggers to hit new targets.
The sales industry is dynamic and fast-paced. Creating and planning and doing everything required can be challenging. As a sales manager or sales rep, there is always the struggle to get a little more productivity each day.
A sales company’s efficiency determines its effectiveness. There are several benefits of increasing the productivity of your team through field sales management. These are:
- Higher rate of conversion: You have a better idea of who your focus is and understand how to convert them.
- More deals closed: You have improved prospecting, spent more time on reliable leads and made more calls.
- An efficient sales team: A month with low sales means a month with low business. Ensuring your team is thriving in the sales domain means your business will thrive too.
Effective Field Strategies for Improving Sales Productivity:
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Effective Quality Prospecting:
If you run after weak leads that have a high chance of dropping off, you are wasting your time. ‘Zombie leads’ rarely convert to customers. You need some form of qualification or lead scoring solution to measure prospective leads. Some factors are the industry your contact operates in and the size of their organisation.
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Treating Calls as Importantly as Meetings:
Successful sales people don’t take calls lightly. You should focus your entire attention on the call when it’s in progress. Don’t handle other administrative tasks on the side or do other jobs side by side. Try not to zone out and stay laser focused on the questions and conversation at hand. Remember your follow-ups and the planned progression of the call. Get yourself ready to push the lead to closure or take it forward toward the next stage.
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Batching Your Email Response Time:
If you constantly respond to incoming emails and taking calls, you will never do the more impactful tasks that can help improve your chances of converting existing leads.
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Allotting Time for Research:
Don’t get into a call without knowing what you’re getting into. If you have managed to reach a point where you have a meeting or a call with a prospective lead, spend enough time researching before the call. Ideally, you should have an idea of how to respond to certain questions, how to counter doubts and keep the conversation going.
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Understanding the Customer Profile:
You need to know who your leading customers are. You must understand the key triggers and revenue drivers for your company. Once you do that, focus on customers who generate maximum value for you. This is critical to increasing your sales productivity. -
Improving Onboarding and Sales Training:
A sales rep needs to go through training all through their career. One training session can make one sales rep more productive by 1%. This is equal to 200 extra hours of productivity throughout the year. If this is just one employee, imagine having multiple training sessions for your entire team through the year.
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Understanding Sales Performance Indicators:
To see any form of success in sales other than money, you need to have key performance indicators defined clearly. This will tell you if your sales investments are paying off or not. Tracking these metrics can help in identifying any weak spots or areas where deals seem to be falling through. This allows you to fix the problem and improve your results through a higher conversion rate.
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Rewarding Efforts from Employees:
Sales packages for employees mostly include sales commission. Go beyond that by acknowledging accurate sales efforts through positive reinforcement. This is a good way to motivate your team.
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Encouraging Referrals:
A lead that comes to you via word of mouth publicity is going to be more interested in and informed about your product. It is much easier to convert these leads into customers too. When an existing customer is pushing your product among their peers or followers, it gets you traction. It also saves you effort and time on each sale. With the right referral incentives, you can ensure that more customers send leads your way.
Providing consistent touch points between marketing and sales teams can generate more qualified leads. Choosing the right partner for Sales force automation can make a world of difference for your business.
