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The world of sales has helped millions looking to build high-income careers. If you are a charismatic go-getter this career choice may be right for you. With great performance, you can rack a lot of cash in commissions. Once you’ve mastered the art of closing yourself, you can be put in a position to teach others. Building an effective sales team is one of the quickest paths to wealth. Here’s how to do it.
Practice Reverse Shadowing Them for a Day
Of all things, reverse shadowing is the most-effective tool for improving sales reps. By seeing them in the field, it is simple to figure out where they’re messing up.
You can isolate areas they’re creating issues and develop solutions for them. Then, after they’ve implemented them, a notable increase in performance usually follows.
The hardest part of this is spreading your focus across several guys. Shadowing everyone isn’t a minor undertaking if you’re running a sizeable team. So, set aside a few weeks to go through a full day with each team member.
After spending time with them, you’ll have a better understanding of their direction. Figuring out what to do from there defines a leader, too. From there you can provide suggestions for what they can improve on and give any sales tips you have learned in your experience.
If you have well-seasoned sales personnel they can be appointed as team leaders and help you with the shadowing process. Don’t forget to use the knowledge of experienced sales associates to help new staff.
Teach Them the Merits of Question-Based Selling
Anyone who has attended a sales coaching seminar knows about question-based selling. Compared to traditional sales tactics, this gives your prospect more control.
Instead of explaining everything to them, spend more time asking them how they feel. Most sales aren’t the result of someone making logical decisions and buying something. No, instead, most of them are emotional reactions justified with logic after the fact.
Anything your prospect has to say can be used as ammo during the close. So, don’t be afraid to ask tons of questions to make them give you more. With enough questions, nearly everyone will tell you their whole life story. Through this line of questioning, you can discover any problems that the customer has that your product or service will provide a solution for.
Show Them How to Dig Deeper With Prospects
As part of question-based selling, you have to learn how to dig deeper. For example, let’s say you’ve asked a prospect whether they like a product they use already. They respond with a simple yes, and that’s it.
Instead of letting it go, you should ask them why they like it. Figure out what it is about that product they enjoy. By doing that, you’ll gain a deep understanding of a prospect’s psychology. Then, getting them to see the value in your product is trivial.
Demonstrate How to Ask for More Referrals
Nothing feels better than closing a deal on a referral sent to you by previous customers. Moreover, they’re by far the easiest deals you’ll have in your career. However, you’ll never get any unless asking for referrals has become part of your process.
So, make sure to teach your team how to ask for them. Otherwise, by the end of the month, hardly any will happen. Just remember to ask each customer if they know anyone else who would like your product. Most of the time, they’ll rattle off a couple of names. Then, it’s up to you to follow through and reach out to them.
Reward Them for Their Progress
Running a successful team has a lot to do with understanding human motivation. If someone is motivated, they’re usually going to perform well. But, if they’re dragging themselves through the day, don’t expect much from them.
One of the fastest ways to tank your team’s performance is by under-rewarding them. If they don’t feel motivated to chase deals, why would you expect to see stellar performance out of them?
So, review your incentive structure and look at what others offer in the industry. If you’re not paying more than them, consider adjusting your commissions. Paying more to your reps can actually boost revenue.
Since they’ll be more motivated, you should see more deals coming out of them. So, the extra money you’re paying them will be made up for with added revenue.
How to Build an All-Star Sales Team
As a sales manager, your team’s success should be your main priority. At first, it’ll seem like it’s an impossible task. But, the longer you work with them, the better they’ll become. Most managers notice improvement within the first month of serious training. Try sending your best performers to a sales conference, too. That should speed things up a bit.
