Sales performance management: 5 strategies to boost sales

This concise guide outlines five strategies to boost sales performance management within your sales team or department.

Sales are a very important cornerstone of every business. The performance of your sales department has a crucial impact on the business in general, so setting your sales team up for success is very important. The main focus for sales leaders and managers is to gather a good quality sales team and get the most out of itwith sales performance management, because the better they perform, the sales increases and this has a positive outcome for the entire company.

Getting your sales team to enhance their performance is a very challenging process. Even though we can all stand to make improvements, you need to be aware of certain major factors in sales performance management. We have an economy that is in constant fluctuation, the market factors are continuously changing, and both the buyers and clients are informed more than ever before.

This is why it has never been more challenging to hit the target sales goals and the reason there is such a high emphasis on sales performance. Sales should be user-based, providing help in every step of the sales funnel.

6 Strategies for sales performance management

We’ve compiled a list of strategies that will help you empower your sales team and improve sales performance.

1. Build customer-centric culture

This is a sales strategy that puts the customer’s wants and needs, as well as their communication preferences as the focal point of the buying process. Understanding the sales funnel is the key to sales performance management. All sales activities and the entire communication should be aimed at helping the customer reach short and long-term success during the customer journey, all the way from start to finish.

To make customer-centric selling entirely effective, your strategy should go beyond the sales funnel. Everything that goes through the eyes of a customer should be taken into consideration. For example, when sales representatives wear name tags, pinned or kept in an ID badge holder, it instantly adds a personalized touch which helps them build trust with customers and makes them look more professional. Expert appearance, along with their experienced selling skills can do wonders in the sales team performance.

2. Personalize incentives

When it comes to motivation, a simple pat on the back or a handwritten note is always welcome. However, there are also many other motivational tactics which will make your employees feel good about themselves and valuable to you and the company.  Incentives are one of the best ways to show gratitude to your sales team for hitting the sales target. If you are thinking about going beyond the traditional monetary rewards, there are other ways to recognize their efforts.

Take your team out to dinner, or throw a small office party when they reach a certain goal. You can surprise them with a gift they would really appreciate, such as tickets to sports events or gym memberships, or provide an adventure experience for the outdoor enthusiasts.

If you aren’t familiar with their preferences, simply rewarding them with some flexible time, or a day off would always be a good idea. Acknowledge your employee of the month by showing gratitude publicly in a big meeting with the staff. Personalized incentives won’t cost you too much and by showing appreciation, your employees will return the favor twice as much.

3. Use role play exercises

Sales role-playing is one of the most overlooked coaching and training methodsforsales performance management, and this shouldn’t be the case. This is usually rehearsed in training sessions or seminars as a part of the activities oriented towards better sales performance. These practices will aid your sales team in real life, when encountering actual customers and will make your sales process stronger.

The key to successfully implementing role-play in your sales coaching methodology is to establish specific sales performance management goals. By setting up goals, you can carefully plan a role-play scenario that will help you reach the learning outcomes you are aiming at. Use this technique to tackle and rehearse worst-case scenarios, but always bear in mind that even though role-playing is a serious improvement tool, it should also be a fun and positive experience for everyone.

Find the best mentors and get the most out of it. You can even get managers to participate in the exercise, as they are sometimes people who have started as sales representatives. And don’t forget, if you aim at maximum retention and continued progress – practice frequently.

4. The importance of understanding the product

Before pitching a product, a sales representative must make sure they truly understand it. Memorizing a list of features and benefits isn’t enough in today’s world, and they need to use it, test it, or play with it to truly learn its strengths and weaknesses as part of sales performance management. This detailed understanding of a certain product or service will build credibility and make you confident when presenting it to the customer, which in return will lead to improved sales performance.

By understanding the product, every member of the sales team will realize that they are part of the bigger picture and are a significant factor in building the company’s image. Let them know that they are directly responsible for the prosperity of the team, and motivate them by acknowledging their important role in the company’s success.

5. Keep constant communication

Internal communications are crucial. Find time to talk to each member of the team if you want your sales team to be more effective. It’s important to keep track of how they are performing, especially with new employees. The value of face-to-face meetings is immense, it will make your workers feel recognized and it will give you an excellent opportunity to find out where there is room for improvement.

The road to success starts with a well-trained sales team

No matter if it’s a small business or a big enterprise, the goal of every business owner is to sell more. It’s basically one of the most important things a company can do. Accomplishing this objective will drive new levels of success for your brand, and will motivate your sales team to continue investing their efforts at the same time.

Hitting the sales team targets isn’t always easy, and that is mostly because many companies start with unrealistic strategies in the first place. These strategies will help you set expectations for your sales team, increase sales productivity and help them reach their goals.