The way that sales teams are functioning has been completely transformed. For a sales leader, what worked in the office isn’t always translating perfectly to remote working. So how can you lead your remote sales team?
From your sales team’s point of view, they may well be lacking motivation and they may be wondering how do they go about performing at all. One of the biggest mistakes that a sales leader can make is to try and carry on motivating teams in exactly the same way. In the office, it’s possible to motivate your teams with a simple carrot: “If you do this, you’ll get that” however, once they’re working from home in these uncertain times, that can have a negative impact. Just asking them to put in a certain amount of effort doesn’t really help them as things have dramatically changed in terms of what’s working for clients and building relationships.
What does work is trying to drive intrinsic motivation. You want your sales team getting out of bed in the morning wanting to put everything they can into their day. You need them to want to get the most out of their day by working in the smartest and most effective way. There are three things that drive intrinsic motivation: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
We recommend that you focus you and your teams in all three of those areas:
Autonomy
- Don’t just micromanage. Make sure that people know what projects and tasks they should be working on. Give them milestones and check in regularly to make sure that you are all working in the smartest way possible
Mastery
- In these times of confusion trying to master the art of driving client relationships is absolutely crucial.
- Run regular team sessions around what you’re learning. What’s working and what isn’t. Share best practice and mistakes.
- in these unprecedented times, put focus on getting better and better. That is going to help people feel like they are making a difference.
Purpose
- Make sure they know why they exist right now.
- Why do they exist as a sales team?
- What are they looking to achieve for their client. Laser focus on that.
- Ensure they feel like they’re adding real value and making a difference
So, how does a sales leader get their sales people attacking the day and driving forward? Don’t just focus on carrot-and-stick. Don’t just focus on “If you do that, you’ll get that”. Don’t just micromanage. Make sure that you’re focusing on driving autonomy, mastery and purpose in your teams.
Hopefully you can use these tips and help you lead your remote sales teams to success.
Please share this with as many people as you can and please comment to give us ideas of other areas where we might be able to help. Good luck and stay safe.
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