Do you have a sales team or are you ready to hire sales professionals? Here are steps to make sure they are ready to sell your products and services.
Aggressively Train
A new sales person probably performed in-depth due diligence about your business during the hiring process. But have you followed up? Detailed training about your products and services is key. Although you know your business inside and out, your sales team may not be aware of every facet. A missed detail could equal a missed sale. This Toutapp blog post outlines unique ideas to incorporate into your training program.
7 Ways to Train the Modern Salesperson
Keep an Eye on the Competition
In addition to training salespeople to sell your products and services, turn an eye to the competition. Comparative analysis is invaluable and can reveal what works and what doesn’t work in your marketplace. Schedule regular meetings to discuss the competition and ways you can convert their customers. Entrepreneur has a detailed competitive analysis template you can use as a guide.
Support Continuing Education
Online opportunities abound! Check into the plethora of online courses available that can help increase sales. Industry trade groups are another resource to check out. Many offer webinars and other resources to help develop new skills or a stronger selling strategy. SCORE is a cost-free training resource to explore. This non-profit organization is dedicated solely to helping the entrepreneur succeed. Check out their online resource library filled with lots of information about how to increase sales. Go low-tech and invest in respected publications. This is a good place to start: The 15 Best Sales Books That All Salespeople Should Own. Schedule an occasional lunch n’ learn to discuss a particular sales book.
Set Goals and Celebrate Success
Now is not the time to be vague! Be specific about the benchmarks of success that need to be met by your sales team. Schedule regular performance reviews to gauge accomplishments and discover where improvements can be made. Recognition goes a long way. Create a fun way to celebrate when a goal is met. A traveling trophy, a gift card or a special lunch are all inexpensive ways to motivate your sales team.
Hire Carefully
If you don’t have a team or salesperson in place yet, strive to hire the right fit for your small business. Entrepreneur has a great article to help here: How to Hire Your First Salesperson. There’s are certain personality traits and skill sets that indicate a strong sales candidate. According to AllBusiness.com, here are some of the qualities you should consider:
- Highly motivated by money
- Eager to learn
- Self-confident
- Enjoy challenges
- Persistent
- Competitive
- Able to cope with rejection
- Great listening skills
- Physically and mentally energetic
In short, put the tools your sales team needs to succeed into their hands. Your bottom line will thank you!
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