5 Tips to Increase Sales Teams Productivity

Are you a sales manager looking to improve the productivity of your sales team? Sales people can become easily distracted if they do not know what it is they are supposed to be doing. Knowledge is power, and by equipping your team with the skills and procedures they need to be successful, you can expect an increase in productivity. With a little guidance and implementation of a few processes, you can turn your sales teams figures around and have them close more deals than ever before.

#1 Start with the 4×4 Follow Up

Follow up is the number one area where sales people fail. Less than five percent of salespeople follow up more than once after the initial pitch or presentation. This strategy is leaving money on the table as research has shown that prospects only actually make a buying decision on the fourth follow-up call.

You can take advantage of this statistic to implement the 4×4 follow-up rule. This rule starts with a follow-up call made directly after the prospect has left the sales venue. Many people think that this may be a silly time to call a prospect as you have just seen them. However, research shows that if you get the prospect to return to the location within twenty minutes after the initial meeting, you are likely to close the deal.

The second follow up call should be made within twenty-four hours, followed by an email recapping the benefits of your product discussed at the meeting. The fourth follow-up should take the form of another call placed ten days after your initial meeting. If you do not receive any response from the prospect, repeat the 4×4 process until you close the deal.

#2 Don’t Waste Time On Voicemail

Voicemails cost money to leave the message and time to make the call. The problem is that most people will never receive your voicemail and if they do, they probably will feel infuriated at the sound of your voice. You are better off hanging up and either waiting for them to return the call or calling back at another scheduled follow-up date. Some sales trainers say leaving a voicemail is critical for establishing communication.

However, these coaches neglect to take into account the way that peoples response voicemail has changed over the years. Nowadays, people are irritated if they receive information that is not critical, all that will happen to your voicemail is that it is deleted as soon as the prospect realizes it is you on the line, this will damage your credibility and rapport with the prospect.

#3 Create a Sales Call Plan of action

Pre-call planning is a way of committing to a follow-up and prospecting target for the day. Without the ability to focus on a goal, salespeople will often procrastinate on their duties and become disheartened with their mission.

Go to your local stationery dealer and purchase some essential craft supplies that you can use to create a call-plan board. Get everyone to write in their daily figures for calls, pitches, and closing rates. The more you make the activity interactive and competitive between your sales team, the more they will be motivated to produce.

#4 Take Advantage of the Power Hour

We live in a very distractive society, cell phones, email, notifications, phone calls, texts and status updates all stream through the airwaves around us, demanding our time. Salespeople will become distracted by these interruptions as well. The last thing you want is a prospect walking into your store, showroom, o office to find your salespeople starring at the screens of their phones. It’s not good for the corporate image and its bad for your sales team’s productivity. Make a rule that stipulates no external communication activity during the prime time calling hours of the day.

#5 10X10 Rule

This rule means that you make ten calls by 10 am, every single day. So much of a salespersons produtivity is lost because they fail to get started. Getting into the office, making coffee, talking with colleagues all take away from valuable productivity time that could be used pursuing or closing deals.

In Closing

Great salespeople are made, not born. Use these five productivity tips to rally your team and get them inspired to hit the phones and make more sales.