While we’ve been working virtually for some time and most of the growing pains of the virtual selling shift has worn off, many sales managers are still dealing with some struggles. If you are still navigating challenges, use these tips to lead your sales team from home effectively.
1. Focus on Flexibility
If you are still rigid with your team, it’s time to let that go. While there will always be deadlines that you need your team to hit, you must be flexible with your salespeople right now. They may have children, spouses, elderly parents, or roommates living in the same space, focusing from 9-5 a challenge. As long as your people are closing deals and meeting their obligations, please don’t get hung up on their daily schedules.
2. Be Clear About Processes and Expectations
Flexibility is important, but it’s equally important to communicate about processes and expectations that are not open to negotiation. This will require you to keep an eye on the way things are going, so you’ll need to take care not to micromanage while instilling in your team that they can’t cut corners.
3. Make Sure Your Team Has The Right Tools
Effective remote work is only possible with the right tools. If your team doesn’t have great tools, now is the time to bat with leadership to get those tools. Your sales team will need various tools in place, including chat platforms, video conferencing, screen sharing, project management tools, and cloud-based CRM and document collaboration tools.
4. Hold One-On-One Meetings
Your employees can no longer drop into your office whenever they have a question, and you can’t call them over any time you need to chat. Now, more than ever, you should be keeping weekly check-ins with each salesperson and support staff member on your team. Check-in on their workload, ask for feedback, and go over their goals and performance. These meetings will be good for you, good for the employees, and good for productivity.
5. Have Fun
Remote work can feel isolating. People like going into an office and experiencing the camaraderie and support of having colleagues working around them, laughing with them, and having fun. Don’t be afraid to inject a little fun into your new normal. During meetings as appropriate, laugh and joke, send out uplifting emails and messages and host virtual lunches and happy hours using company video conferencing tools.
Recruit Great People
If your industrial safety or PPE manufacturing company is looking for top-tier sales talent, talk to The Charis Group. As the premier recruiters in the industry, we help sales leaders build effective, lasting teams. Contact us today to learn more.
