Your sales force must make it rain without you, but to achieve this business owners must train their sales staff to function without them.
The secret is to build a team of individuals that can manage themselves and are proactive and not reactive, says Mark Keating, CEO and founder of SalesGuru, a sales training and development company.
Keating says reactive salespeople put themselves on the back foot because they wait for feedback rather than taking action.
“It’s then too late for them [because they’re not in control of the situation]. This leads to them not progressing or adjusting [as salespeople] as quickly as necessary. This often leads to poor sales pipeline and results,” he warns.
Make your sales team more proactive – Keating’s dos and don’ts.
DOs:
1. Have an one-on-one with each sales person to ensure that you have clearly defined the company, managerial and personal expectations from all parties;
2. Define the rules of engagement clearly and also the consequences should they choose not to adhere to them;
3. Define the Minimal Acceptable Standards for each individual to hold them accountable for the agreed commitment and targets;
4. Define clearly what is required every week for effective coaching to take place;
5. Coach consistently;
6. Lead by example.
DON’TS:
1. Fail to implement the necessary consequences when required;
2. Change the rules of engagement or expectations without clear communication and an understanding of why;
3. Accept non-performance;
4. Treat each individual differently according to their results not the company standards;
5. Not hold individuals accountable for their choices that were not agreed to in the one-on-one discussion.
