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Whitepaper: Managing a Remote Sales Team
Now that many sales teams find themselves remote, how can you help them stay focused and engaged? Here are a few of the common
problems that newly remote teams have to overcome:
Remote Sales ManagementTHE BIG PROBLEM
For many managers it comes down to being able to trust your teams. Without trust its much harder to gauge whether or not your team is performing the tasks and putting in the work that they should be.
Trust
This is a big issue for new virtual or remote work teams. How do you make sure everything is being communicated effectively? That your team understands what they need to do and they have transparent views on KPIs and goals? How do you ensure that key initiatives are being properly communicated?
Communication
Another tough issue to tackle remotely is team and individual motivation when people are no longer in the office. How do you keep people productive and motivated when there are so many distractions? How do you make sure that people feel recognized and rewarded from anywhere? How can you make sure that the work is being accomplished without being there?
Productivity
OVERVIEWWHITEPAPER
We’ve compiled best practices from across industries to help sales teams navigate staying engaged, connected, and productive - no matter the situation. Here are a few key topics that you can expect in this whitepaper:
Keep your sales team engaged remote, in-office, or on the road.
Communication Techniques
Relationship Building in Virtual Environments
The Importance of Transparency
Communication is one of the most important facets of working remote. We go over a few best practices to communicate with your team.
Remote teams don’t have the spontaneity of in-person office discussions. We talk through why transparency can substitute, and best practices.
Building relationships with your team is important no matter where you are, but being remote can make it difficult.
Communication TechniquesCreating healthy, consistent and intentional communication is paramount to your sales teams feeling engaged. If everyone is working remote, there has to be a conscious effort to reach out to others and have a conversation.
The great news is that we have the tools to keep up with each other, no matter where you work.
Ensure that your team updates their calendars on availability often. If you are leveraging a tool like Slack for quick collaboration (and you should) you can sync up calendars to know exactly when people are available for chats.
Don’t Forget Calendars
When looking at a software stack: bonus points if the tools you are using have mobile apps or are mobile ready. Sometimes remote employees are busy concentrating on work via a laptop, and can utilize their mobile devices as a 2nd (or 3rd) screen.
Get Software Optimized for Mobile
Leverage a program like ZOOM or GotoMeeting and host ‘water-cooler discussions with your team. Pick a random topic and have everyone on the team discuss it for a bit. A great way to get everyone involved, help everyone to feel more connected, and kick a week off.
Keep ‘Water-Cooler’ Moments
Use a VoIP solution that allows call forwarding to cell-phones. This can help every member of their team stay connected through the devices they are already carrying all the time.
Utilize the Tools You Already Have
CommunicationBEST PRACTICES
Importance of TransparencySet the tone early and make sure that every single member of your team understands that transparent communication is the only way to share information. If you are a leader of a team, your team will mimic your approach, so make sure you are as transparent as possible.
TransparencyBEST PRACTICES
We would not recommend trying to corner employees into specific work-hours or to utilize tools to track specific work hours for employees. This leads to a “big-brother” approach, where employees don’t feel like there is true trust between yourself and them. Instead leverage KPIs that are aligned to both individual and team goals to make sure that your organization is continuing to be productive.
Don’t Track Time
While you are leveraging KPI’s to make sure that your team continues to perform, a key factor is transparency in these KPIs. Make sure the team knows what and why, and keep these KPIs front and center through something like Hoopla. Once KPIs are transparent, micromanagement goes away because everyone knows where everyone else stands at all time.
Let go of Micromanagement
Team goals should be readily accessible for everyone on that team to see anytime. This means you shouldn’t just email, but should send reminders, or set up channels to broadcast these goals anywhere with something like Hoopla.
Team Goals: Available for Everyone
Relationship Building in Virtual Environments Communication and Transparency should do some to help make sure that you are building relationships with each of your employees. However, taking the extra time to discuss personal goals and additional topics outside of just work will take those relationships to the next level. Using digital programming, like Hoopla, management staff can share motivational quotes and video clips with the entire team, along with business updates and department-related news.
Remote Relationship Building BEST PRACTICES
Ensure that remote employees are properly onboarded, with a clear plan not only on how to get set-up, but also their first tasks to get started.
Make Remote Employees Feel Like a Part of the Culture
Start the Relationship Right
Talk about Items Outside Work
Keep Team Traditions
Don’t forget Snail-Mail
Send new remote employees a special package of ‘branded’ swag as a ‘get starting’ bundle.
Send remote employees ‘thank-you’ cards via regular mail, thanking them for hard work, or a specific accomplishment.
If your team traditionally celebrates employees birthdays with cake, first make sure that everyone knows that there is a birthday to celebrate. Then send a virtual voucher, or order cakes to be delivered to that person. Find ways to continue these things
In regular one on one meetings, make sure you take the time to discuss interests, hobbies and goals outside of work. These discussions will help your relationship, and the right goals can also help the company.
It’s important to celebrate achievement no matter where you work. Showing off accomplishments can maintain culture in any work
environment, including remote work, and ensure that employees know what they do matters.
Mike Smalls
Building Relationships Through CelebrationQUOTE
CEO
Hoopla
By utilizing these techniques you can make sure that your sales team stays focused, more productive and happier.
Remote Work Done Right
79%Increase in Employee
Loyalty
86%Lower Employee Stress
Levels
40%More Productive
25%Lower
Turnover
74%Of workers would quit their job
for more flexible options
THE BOTTOM LINE
Source: https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/remote-work-statistics/#gref
