Align team knowledge, skills, and compensation
One of the most challenging aspects of sales performance management is leading the sales team. Becoming a good sales leader demands commitment. This commitment is not only to the team but to each individual and continuous improvement. Good team management translates into good business.
The quality of the sales director and the sales performance management are the main factors in determining salespeople satisfaction and retention. Therefore, there are three essential activities to accomplish. And, we listed them here to help you accomplish high performing sales teams:
Spread the knowledge
Your sales team needs to compete successfully. And, knowledge is necessary. Training is not only about turning salespeople into walking product encyclopedias. Although product knowledge is important, it is not the only thing salespeople need to know. A good sales performance management guides salespeople to acquire knowledge in different areas. Therefore, salespeople need to know everything about the company, product or service, customers, industry, and competition.
Through sales performance management, sales directors make sure that the team is up-to-date with the latest information. Moreover, salespeople need to know about sales automation tools. These enhance processes and communication inside and outside the company. Remember to measure the level of knowledge. Then, make a strategy to improve selling skills and developing effort. For more information about training and creating top performers, read this blog post.
Develop team skills
Salespeople coming together and generating success as a team is a consequence of effective sales performance management. Today’s ultra-competitive environment demands a team approach. Good results require a team-oriented focus, even for the most individual sales reps. Plus, sales managers should get creative to bring that teamwork element to the table.
Broader goals should be stated across functions in an organization. And, that should be done while performing the sales performance management. Build a strong sense of cohesion as a group. Certainly, collaboration is one of the top sales skills. Team skills help develop salespeople grow and enhance their performance.
Tailor a compensation plan
Compensation is motivation. And, without motivation, even the most knowledgeable or skilled sales team can’t win. The more a sales team is motivated, the more ambitious goals are to achieve. Therefore, your sales compensation plan should establish challenging goals. Be creative, avoid cap commissions and pay your salespeople as soon as a deal closes.
Planning, managing and creating a sales commission plan is not a small task. It requires a full understanding of each moving part. Definitely, a compensation plan that rewards the best performers will keep a low turnover. But, the more variables worked into a sales commission plan, the more uncertainty in the sales force.
Therefore, a sales compensation software is what sales departments need while creating a high-performing team. Create a positive impact on sales performance and keep a good commission tracking. Blitz is the sales commission plan to keep you aware of all your compensation plan components. Click here and schedule your demo.
Sources:
Gschwandtner, Gerhard. The Sales Manager's Guide to Developing A Winning Sales Team. McGraw Hill, 2007.