A high performing sales team is the key to growth. But all sales leaders would know the challenge of motivating their team to smash their targets. So what are some of the best ways to create high performance in your sales team?
Set Clear Goals
It's super important to set clear goals. As the old adage goes, 'if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time'. Make sure that every team member knows exactly what's expected of them, what they need to achieve, and when. You've probably heard of SMART goals. These are goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This clarity will give them something to work towards, which will help to drive motivation and focus.
For example: "Increase the number of outbound calls by 20% by the end of Q2."
Provide Regular Feedback
Feedback is a vital component for continued growth of a sales team and therefore overall business growth. One of the main roles of a sales leader is being aware of how their team and individual members are tracking. You can't give feedback on what you don't know. This is one of the huge benefits of our Outbound sales enablement software, short sit-downs are as simple as bringing up the mission numbers. It's important to provide both positive and constructive feedback, highlighting what your team members are doing well and where they can improve. This feedback can come in the form of regular one-on-one meetings, group meetings, or daily huddles.
For example: "Great job on closing that deal, John. That was all about client connection, and you nailed it by asking the right questions and demonstrating how our product was the right fit for them. When you get a solid lead, you're unstoppable. So let's talk about how to improve your lead-gen. Let's see what we could add to our Outbound Game to encourage more creativity in your thinking."
Offer Professional Development Opportunities
Investing in your team's professional development is another essential component of creating high performance in your sales team. Provide them with training opportunities, mentorship, and resources that can help them to improve their skills and knowledge. This investment will not only improve their performance, but it will also show that you're invested in their success.
While there are heaps of great packages out there, we think ours is pretty awesome.
The Outbound University is a cheap monthly subscription to a growing catalogue of hundreds of videos that have been used by thousands of sales people across the world to improve their processes and grow their revenue.
Encourage Collaboration
Encouraging collaboration and teamwork is another critical component of creating high performance in your sales team. By working together, team members can learn from each other, share ideas, and support one another. We strongly encourage implementing team-based goals connected to bonus incentives to encourage collaboration and create a sense of camaraderie. It's also a great sales technique that we call The Triple-Double.
For example: "Let's create a team-based goal to increase the number of closed deals by 20% this quarter. We can celebrate together when we achieve this goal, and I'll provide some fun incentives to keep you motivated along the way."
Recognise and Celebrate Success
Recognising and celebrating success is probably the most overlooked aspect of encouraging your team to grow. When you smash a target in a month, it's not exactly inspiring to just be given a bigger target next month. This is why the Outbound method works so well. When your team members achieve their goals or exceed their targets, there should be just rewards. And as great as a pizza lunch on a casual Friday might be (not really that great), rewards that they've chosen, that mean something to them, and that they've worked towards - these are the kind of rewards that truly inspire people.
For example: "Adding the latest tech device in the Outbound Rewards Store gave me an extra incentive all quarter to hit the phones and make the calls. And of course, more quality calling led to more leads, so everyone wins!"
Creating high performance in your sales team is critical to achieving your business goals. By setting
clear goals, providing
regular feedback, offering
professional development opportunities, encouraging
collaboration, and
rewarding success, you can create a high-performing team that consistently meets or exceeds performance targets. As a sales leader, we know how much time all of this can take, which is why we created the Outbound Game, which does a lot of it for you - so you can stop micro-managing, and start leading.
