Setting up a remote sales team is beneficial to your company in a number of ways. Besides saving you money on office space, it brings the global talent pool to your disposal, enabling you to hire top talent regardless of where they are. With the rise of the internet, it is now possible to connect with customers from all over the world. All the more reason why having remote salespersons is essential for your business if you want to serve global customers better.
However, managing a remote team comes with its fair share of challenges. While it is easy to maintain a remote sales team, having them thrive at their work is a challenge you have to deal with.
That being said, here are a few ways that you can ensure your remote sales team keeps thriving.
- Maintain communication
Communication is very important for every remote team. Since team members don’t work in close proximity, regular communication is the only way to stay connected with each other. It is also an effective way to make remote employees feel like part of the organization. Lack of communication can easily cause individuals to disengage themselves from the bigger picture, which can affect their productivity.
It is paramount that you maintain regular communication with your remote sales team. Technology has made a plethora of digital communication tools available. Choose the ones that work best for you to help you keep communication alive within your remote sales team.
- Hire the right people
A successful remote team starts with hiring the right individuals. Not everyone is built to work remotely. Remote working has become the in-thing in the recent past. You will find people opting for that route because the benefits are appealing but are clearly not cut out for a remote setup. Hiring such individuals can only drag your team down.
Besides having the right professional qualifications, remote workers need to be self-disciplined, self-starters, and highly motivated. You need to ask the right questions when hiring to establish whether a candidate is good for a remote work.
Of course, hiring a diverse team can be challenging especially due to the difference in labor laws where international individuals are involved. However, with the help of a reputable professional employer organization, such as Global PEO, you can achieve that goal compliantly.
- Build a sense of trust
When you can’t physically see your salespersons, it is easy to assume they slacking off and not working. This is the reason why most employers tend to micromanage their remote teams. However, when such employees feel like you are always breathing down their necks, the chances of them feeling demotivated are very high.
Remote working is built on the basis of trust. You need to trust that you hired the right people and allow them to work without asking for updates every other minute. When they feel that you trust them, they will be compelled to do their best to meet or exceed their goals.
- Recognize your remote salespersons
When a sales team is working together in a traditional office, recognizing good work is as easy as a pat on the back or a high-five when you run into each other in the hallway. We all know how effective recognizing employees can be in boosting morale and driving results.
However, the practice of recognizing employees tends to take a back seat when it comes to a remote team. That is why you need to be deliberate in finding opportunities to do this for your remote sales team. For instance, you can mention wins from outstanding salespersons during the weekly virtual meetings. You can also create a channel in a platform such as Slack where members can highlight successes for those who have surpassed their targets.
- Regular training programs
Regular skills coaching and employee training are essential in improving the selling techniques for your sales team. It is also a good way to show employees that you value their career development, which works well in boosting motivation.
Ensure that you are extending this to your remote sales team. If members are able to come to the office during these training sessions, be sure to make that happen. If they are cannot, you should organize virtual sessions where they can participate.
Conclusion
The challenges that affect remote sales teams stem from the fact that you are not able to see your employees as much as you would want. However, technology makes virtual meet-ups possible. Ensure that you are using these tools to keep your people connected and to keep them informed.
