How to Get Better Sales Productivity From the ‘Same’ Team?

No two persons have equal abilities, neither are their efficiencies the same. In simple words, the output produced by two different persons varies depending upon their individual abilities. While the prospects remain the same, it takes smart management to make the best out of it.

There are managers who are blown away by the pressure of reaching somewhat closer to the target, while the smarter managers whistle past the same target with ease. Every business manager craves to get more sales, and you are no different. Are you? But sadly, dreams don’t work in reality…

So, you want to get more sales from your team. Lucky you! You have arrived at just the right place because here we are about to reveal those hidden secrets that every smart manager keeps to himself. You know the reason why it is so. Everyone likes to maintain an edge over the competition. After all, making others feel envy about your panache adds a special flavor to the joy of success.

So are you prepared to ‘make a difference’ with the same team… But wait first let’s first evaluate how a team behaves in general…

Understand the basics of a Team

When an employee joins a new place, he has an enthusiasm and energy second to none. That’s why a team member gives his heart out and performs to the best of his abilities. While he lacks experience, but his excitement towards the work more than makes for the cons.

But as the time passes, his enthusiasm fades away and his passion about the work begins to lose the spark which he once had. The comfort and ease replace the enthusiasm and energy which sedates him into carelessness. Just working for the sake of monthly paychecks.

Now that you know how your employee behavior changes with his stay in the company. You must keep up with ways that ignite the passion from time to time. Similar to the how one deliberately keeps the fire alive during the winters.

So here we are then, How to keep your team motivated?

Inclusiveness is Exclusive ‘Priority’ of a Smart Manager

Yes, your team isn’t teaming enough if they don’t have a say about the business and the work. A smart manager knows that if he wants his team to feel like a team, he ought to include them in every discussion. He promotes an environment of inclusiveness and values those opinions which worth it.

It actually works for two reasons. First of all, including each member as a part of the process develops a feeling of ownership in them. And you always have a special connection with the things you own which gives them ample of reasons to work harder and perform better. So you know that they are not working for those monthly paychecks but for the sense of belongingness which they have as a Team.

The other reason is that it gives you a plenty of new ideas and solutions that one person can never think of. As a person, everyone has a slightly different approach to view things. Many times, it can land you with ideas that actually push the business growth. So, gave a thought to hold a team discussion yet?

Invest ‘Time and Value’ on the Team

You got to invest on your team to nurture their talent and mold them for the betterment of your business. If you want to run a business successfully, you need a skilled Team (as if you didn’t know it).

But hey, Hang on! Here’s my point. You will rarely find well-polished employees who perfect match for your company, no matter how hard you may try. And if you only want to hire people with prior experience, you can try them too. But then you should also get prepared to release more on their paychecks. But smaller companies don’t have that sort of financial flexibility. Nonetheless, it is mere ignorance of your’s to believe that an experienced guy is can always be deemed fit for a role suitable for your business.

So, break the barrier yourself. Take a stride forward and invest your time and efforts on nurturing a team that your business needs, rather than seeking ready-made talent. I know it is exhausting, but trust me, it’s worth it. While hiring a team, you should seek the ‘talent’ that oozes confidence and willingness to learn. And once you find the most suitable talent for a role in your team, you can guide his curiosity and enthusiasm and refine his skills to mold him into the role that your business requires.

Though the freshers are not Paid as much, whatever you save from the salary needs to be invested on the training and skill development programs to maneuver their productivity. Therefore, saving money on salary expenditures shouldn’t be your primary concern. You should rather focus on making the best use of the potential of your team to the fullest.

There is an obvious skepticism about an employee leaving the job after getting trained. And it is really frustrating for a business when such things happen. But hey! Do you actually think such dishonesty could have proved fruitful for your business at first place? If you ask me, it is just a wrong selection while hiring which may happen once in awhile.

You should also consider the fact that even if you hire an experienced guy, he will naturally need some time to get used to the new place, new role, and new responsibilities. That essentially means his productivity will grow after a certain period, even though at a higher salary.

So, if you come across with few talented employees and nurture them initially, it won’t cost.

Never Press the Sales Team for Quantity But Quality

I understand that the number of sales is actually an important factor for your business. But you should also understand that focus on ‘quantity’ won’t yield optimum results. There are obvious reasons for it. You can easily manage quantity if you maintain a healthy ‘quality’.

It is very often seen that sales team are provided by a specific target. Though it is important to give specified targets to your team. But it is just to set up a benchmark that your sales team should follow. It serves as a parameter to make them aware of their performance to an extent for assessment.

But, what mostly goes wrong about it is the pressure which scales on them about the target. While there are few people in the world who perform excellently well under pressure but a vast majority of them ought to fumble. And you don’t want that, Do you?

But sadly, a large number of businesses love to throw the very high volume of work to their teams. and clearly, stress on ‘quantity’ of work. This is evident in many forms rigid work schedules, long working hours. On top of those long office hours, they impose constant overtimes allowing no work flexibility at all. The most disappointing thing of all has to be the intolerance to allow occasional time offs, leaves, holidays or recreational vacations.

With such a demotivating discipline, do you actually feel that a person can work with a healthy mind? No, this is going to drain anyone, beyond any doubt. After a certain period, the exhausted employees will just sleepwalk through the work uninterested to put much effort (as if they can). One shouldn’t expect a demotivated team to perform expectedly when one is highly disregardful to the expectation of his employees.

It is much better if you target to strengthen the skills and introduce transparency with the help of management systems, and sales automation. Don’t make them for long hours. Avoid overtimes and force them to take occasional offs for refreshment and replenishment so that they could work with a fresh and healthy mind.

I hope you know the ‘importance’ of a fresh mentality in work productivity. Stress on quality, try to manage them efficiently and keep them mentally rejuvenated. That’s the way smart managers work…

Step Up to Assist When a Member Needs

There are many such moments when your employees need your help. It is critical for a manager to be available to guide them whenever you feel your team needs it. This is all about coordination and understanding which a manager has to develop through inclusive discussions.

But there’s more to it than that. Many members will hesitate to ask for your help even if they want. It’s here that transparency will help you. Using sales automation and employee tracker helps you to keep a track over your employees while they are on the field. Automation will help you manage them. Interact with them once in awhile, to begin with, if and only if your assistance is essentially going to save the day.

But don’t be sticky and keep forcing yourself even if it isn’t required. That is important to develop a confident team and make them feel trustworthy. Unnecessarily imposing yourself on the team makes them feel that you don’t trust them. Even if you do, this is the natural instinct which their mind will assume. Moreover, it is like you are holding someone’s hand to help when he doesn’t want you to help. That will diminish your own value in front of the team. Assistance and micro-management are two different pillars which you have to balance out evenly.