There are at least 60 ways to improve sales in your sales team – increasing revenue, margin and conversion rates
At least 60 ways!
Many of those breakdown even further.
Here are the top three.
Specifically selected to be fast acting, free to implement and easy to introduce.
All Leading to Higher Sales Conversion Rates, Increasing Revenue and Margins
This is a whistle stop list, if you need more detail, just the search function at the side of this page – you’ll find all the info you need
#1. Areas of Sales Improvement for Sales Reps – Coach Your Sales Team
The number one sales killer is to starve the sales team of 121 coaching time.
Of all the ways to increase sales – this is my number one go to.
It gets that high status becasue it never not works!
Plus, the paybacks are typically high, immediate and it has huge knock on effects in terms of building team relationships, motivation and engagement, reducing staff turnover, ongoing performance management as well as generally making the office a much nicer place to work.
As one of the many ways to increase sales, sales coaching is the one to focus on…get the coaching habit, make the commitment, there is nothing more important.
Not convinced about sales coaching?
You’re not alone!
Not everyone is able to find the time to perform this most simple and effective of sales improvement.
But YOU should!
Every team is looking for ways to increase sales – if you ditched everything else and started sales coaching you’d see an immediate spike in sales.
Let’s go!
So, here’s a quick set of questions to, hopefully get you thinking about 121 sales coaching differently:
- Identify who on the sales team in working really hard yet not getting the results they deserve?
- Who is experiencing a sales dip, where you know they could do better because they have in the past?
- Which rep is cresting high on a sales wave?
Now: Who Do you Coach?
If you’re serious about finding ways to increase sales, then you coach them all.
Spend time coaching number 1 because they are working hard and hopefully won’t need much steer from a sales pro like you to really hit their stride.
Coach number 2 because they are most likely beating themselves up, so the chance to reflect, offload, and raise their mental energy will mean the world to them, and stop the sales slip getting any steeper.
AND, you really should be coaching number 3, yes that’s right, you’re going to coach the top performer, because they deserve a chance to get some one to one time with their hero (Hero? Yes, you must be their hero, do you know how tough it is turning in great sales figures for someone you don’t respect?), plus number 3 also deserves a chance to show off his top grade skills, and you might just learn something yourself. An added bonus is that once this person is comfortable with having an audience, there is a ready made knowledge back to help other middling performers.
For each of the people in the groups above – set very specific, agreed SMART objectives, then both work together during the coaching slot to make sure those objectives are met.
Remember, you’re in this together.
How much time should you spend coaching?
As long as it takes to see the needle shift.
And if the needle doesn’t shift…tough decision time for you.
#2. Areas of Sales Improvement for Sales Reps – Hold a Daily Sales Huddle
No more than 15 minutes in the am.
And another 15 minutes at close of play.
In the am session – Ask every member of the team what they’ll deliver that day. (Hopefully some of these will tally with their SMART objectives.)
Video it.
In the pm session – Play the above back at the end of the day so the sales day and see if it’s a hit or a miss
No excuses – just a hit or miss.
Coach to narrow the gap during the next day.
When you’re looking for ways to increase sales, then small steps matter.
Your success is a series of lots of small steps so daily spend your time managing the gap between promises and deliverables.
You’ll be surprised the lengths committed sales people will go to ensure they don’t break promises.
Don’t, please do not, make this a news board session or a sharing of admin info type session, this is an accountability activity.
And, someone who consistently breaks promises…well, that’s another tough decision for you.
#3. Areas of Improvement for Sales Reps – Give the Sales Team Total Accountability, Responsibility and Control
Yep, surrender it all to the sales team to deliver or not.
The targets belong to the person.
When you’re looking for ways to increase sales then everyone needs to step up.
Micromanagement is old school, no-one likes it, needs it, or benefits from it.
We’re all adults and when the sales results do come in, then everyone wins.
We live in a world of decisions and consequences.
We all have vested interests in investing and committing to increasing the sales results.
If your team can’t accept that, but instead expect that you, as part of the management team, to coax, motivate, chase, hassle, chivy, drive or scare them into doing their job, then you’ve got the wrong people in your team.
Start again – recruit adults next time!
Sure you could do all of the above from the team…
That’s a really easy thing to do.
Be supportive?
Of course.
Be the engine that motors the whole function?
No
I have a motto – I can work with anyone at all, I just need to know who I’m working with….and this technique supports that.
Plus, I strongly believe that motivation has to come from within, and as motivated as I am for someone’s success, I can never be more motivated than they are.
So…
If someone is drilling holes in your boat – find out fast.
If someone wants your job – find out fast, and help them get it.
Have your team’s back, if they have your back.
If they don’t…that shouldn’t be a tough decision for you.
To learn more about sales improvement – check out our Free Sales Improvement Guide.
This highlights many ways to improve sales improvement, whatever your sales challenge.
There are a multitude of areas of improvement for sales reps, many ways to increase sales results and a myriad of options available to help you – just make sure you’re investing your time, efforts and skills wisely.
What are your biggest sales challenges?
0779 002 1885 / carol@mortonkyle.com to get in contact.