The sales team is the engine of your company, responsible for generating the revenue necessary to run day-to-day operations and expand your business.

You need to push your sales team in the right direction with positive feedback and constructive criticism as needed.

But how do you Improve sales? Like how to improve a sales team to sell more, then Try one of these ways to improve your sales team’s Performance and be on your way to reaching new heights in no time.

Make sure you’re doing these before you spend too much time trying other tactics, which might not be necessary in the first place if your sales team just needs some better guidance on how to sell more.

Overview

Sales team performance can mean the difference between success and failure, especially if you’re in the business of selling products or services to other businesses. If your sales force isn’t growing at an appropriate rate, you might need to help them get back on track.

There are a few things you can do right away that will improve your sales team’s performance. Of course, there is no magic bullet, but if your business is suffering from low sales, implementing these strategies and ideas can help turn things around.

1)   Define your goals

It’s important for every sales manager to clearly define his or her goals for improving team performance. Once you know what you want your team members to accomplish, you can create an action plan for getting there.

Defining and communicating your goals ensures that everyone is on the same page, so don’t skip over it! Make sure you set realistic expectations for yourself and your team.

You might have a lofty goal of increasing revenue by 20 percent in one year, but if that’s not realistic given where your company is now, then adjust accordingly. Setting stretch goals will motivate your team to go above and beyond—but make sure they’re achievable first.

2)   Keep track of performance

To get a snapshot of how your team is performing, start tracking its average closing rate or overall conversion rates.

If you’re looking for a deeper dive into performance tracking, check out HubSpot’s free CRM software—it lets you monitor each salesperson’s stats across all of their prospects and leads.

Then, look at which potential customers they’re losing out on and what you can do to help close those sales.

3)   Reach Out With Teamwork

It may sound counterintuitive, but coordinating team efforts is a great way to improve each person’s performance. Train your salespeople on teamwork.

They’ll be more productive working together rather than as individuals. Not only will they communicate better, but they’ll also understand how their individual successes will impact others on their team.

This can help motivate them and create a sense of community within your company.

In turn, these employees will become even more invested in your business and its success.

After all, you want your team members to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves—and that starts with training.

For example, encourage collaboration by hosting regular meetings where different teams share information and learn from one another. The key here is to make sure everyone understands how his or her work impacts other departments and contributes to overall growth.

4)   Prepare for challenges

The best time to plan for challenges is before they happen. Before you send your sales team out into a new market, prepare them for what challenges they may encounter.

If you’re selling a product that has already been released and tested, your sales team will likely be prepared for any challenges that may arise—but if you are trying something new, offer them tips on how they can approach possible challenges with ease.

You should also provide them with information about competitors in their area so they know who they are up against.

This way, when issues do arise, your sales team will have an action plan ready to go.

5)   Build a personal development plan

It doesn’t matter how big your company is, every sales team should have a personal development plan. This step might seem like unnecessary busywork for an already-overworked salesperson, but when it comes down to selling more and closing deals, bettering yourself can make all of the difference.

If you think you don’t need one because you know what you need to work on, think again. 

A lot of people are great at identifying their weaknesses—but that’s only half of the battle.

The other half is working hard to improve those weaknesses until they become strengths. That takes a solid personal development plan—and it takes regular, focused effort over time.  When creating your plan, think about where you want to be in five years. 

What skills do you need to learn or develop? What knowledge do you need to acquire? How will these things help you get there? What actions will move you closer to achieving your goals?

These questions can help give structure to your plan and make sure it’s personalized enough to fit into your daily life. Then, write down specific steps you can take to achieve each goal. And remember: A good personal development plan is never set in stone; it needs to evolve as you grow and change.

Make sure you revisit your plan regularly so that it stays relevant and useful! Even if you feel you’re hitting all of your goals, reflect on them and look for ways to improve.

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6)   Find a Sales Coach or Mentor.

It’s helpful for employees of all levels, from entry-level sales reps to higher-ups, to have a coach or mentor, if they are desirous about knowing How to improve a sales team

Having someone to turn to when you need help can encourage salespeople who may be stuck in a rut and boost morale for everyone on your team.

7)   Design for them, too

When you’re redesigning a sales team, be sure to consider how new roles will impact your staff. What can you do to help them sell more? Are there ways you can make their jobs easier? With so many changes in store, it’s essential that your employees feel that their best interests are at heart. Remember: great teams sell more.

Make your customers happy, and they’ll keep coming back for more. Make your salespeople happy—and keep them from looking elsewhere—by designing an office culture that allows everyone to succeed. It all starts with planning.

Set up meetings with individual members of your team to brainstorm improvements for their specific job functions and areas of interest within sales; use these meetings as opportunities to learn about what motivates each person and identify goals they might have outside of selling more products or services.

8)   Create a safe space for your team.

If you have a great sales team, but they don’t feel safe or comfortable in your business, it can kill productivity.

Create an environment where your team members are valued, respected, and heard.

You might be surprised by how much of a difference a safe work environment can make! Encourage questions from everyone—not just top performers—and encourage open communication.

Hold meetings with all levels of staff, so that no one feels left out. Make sure that everyone is familiar with company goals and their role in achieving them; if you want to get more out of your team, first help them get more out of themselves.

9)   Analyze Relevant Team Data.

The first step in improving your sales team’s performance is taking an honest look at what they’re doing right and wrong.

The best way to do that is by mining relevant data points from tools such as email marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and lead nurturing.

One of these platforms might already be integrated into your sales funnel, which means you can use it to mine information about how each department works together. For example, if your CRM includes a feature that tracks every time a salesperson contacts a prospect via email or phone call, you can see how many times he or she contacted them over a given period.

This will give you some insight into whether he or she has been following up on leads consistently enough—or if any leads have gone cold because they haven’t been contacted for too long. Similarly, if your CRM includes a feature that allows you to view detailed reports on how prospects respond to specific emails, you can learn more about why certain emails may not be resonating with recipients.

It’s also worth looking at metrics like open rates and click-through rates to get a sense of whether your salespeople are sending out emails that capture recipients’ attention. If not, consider training them on ways to write more effective subject lines and body copy.

10) Set Sensible, Attainable Operational Objectives.

The most obvious way to improve a sales team’s performance is to make sure they have a clear, attainable goal in mind.

If they know what they are aiming for, and how close they are getting, it’s easier for them to work towards it.

Make sure their goals are realistic but also achievable; if you set objectives too high, people will get demotivated by failure.

For example, setting a target of a 20% increase in revenue could be unachievable depending on your industry and market position.

Instead, try setting targets that relate to specific actions or processes: Achieve a 10% increase in revenue from product X over the next quarter or Increase website conversion rate by 5% over the next quarter. These kinds of goals are more easily measured and will help keep your sales team motivated.

11) Review Business Results as a Team.

It’s tempting for sales teams to use a variety of metrics, benchmarks, and KPIs to track individual performance.

But seeing results from your top performers isn’t always a reflection of how well you’re doing as a team. To stay on top of performance trends, regular reviews with your team are crucial.

When it comes time for review meetings, be sure you are including everyone in these discussions – not just stars or underperformers.

This way, you can identify areas where your team needs improvement and work together to address them.

For example, if your goal is to increase revenue by 15% but only one person achieved that number, consider why others didn’t meet expectations. You might find that training was lacking or certain responsibilities weren’t clearly defined. By talking about results as a group, you allow each member of your team to help achieve goals for all members of the group—and hold yourself accountable when things don’t go according to plan.

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12) Support your staff

Training is one of your most effective sales tools, and it also makes your team members feel appreciated.

Take time to teach them how you like to do business, and share tips on other ways they can improve their performance.

A little support goes a long way toward making them feel confident and helping them be more successful. And when they see that hard work pays off, you’ll have an even stronger sales force for years to come.

13) Define Success

Make sure everyone on your team knows what success looks like.

When everyone shares common goals, it helps them perform better as a unit—and that helps lead to success in terms of revenue and profitability.

In fact, according to research from CEB (formerly Corporate Executive Board), companies with aligned goals grow revenue at three times the rate of those without clearly defined objectives—so make sure you layout expectations from day one

14) Create a Culture of Trust:

One study found that employee engagement was 20% higher among employees who felt highly trusting of senior leadership than among those who didn’t.

So, whether you’re starting fresh or trying to build trust within an existing organization, start by building relationships and establishing trust between management and staff.

If people don’t trust you or believe in your vision, they won’t buy into what you’re selling—no matter how great it may be

15) Hold Regular Feedback Sessions

You should regularly check in with your team to find out how things are going and offer feedback on anything that could use improvement.

By staying up-to-date on how each member of your team is doing, you can provide individualized coaching and development to help them succeed

16) Set Clear Expectations:

 It’s important to set clear expectations about not only what you expect from your team but also what they can expect from you.

For example, if you know that two of your top performers prefer working independently while another thrives on collaboration, let them know so they aren’t surprised when assignments come down differently than expected. This will help avoid any potential conflicts and ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of how to succeed in their role.

17) Empower Them to Succeed

No matter how much you plan, sometimes unexpected obstacles arise.

That’s why it’s important to empower your team to take action and solve problems as they arise.

Not only does this allow you to scale quickly, but it also gives your employees ownership over their roles and responsibilities.

18) Know When to Let Go

Sometimes, no matter how much you try, you just can’t seem to get through to someone. While it’s tempting to try to push them through, you need to recognize when someone isn’t a good fit for your team.

Instead of pushing them to get results that they can’t achieve, it’s best to cut your losses and move on.

19) Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

Giving credit where credit is due builds trust and respect—and it motivates your team members to go above and beyond.

By staying on top of your team’s performance, you can ensure that no matter who’s on point, everyone is getting better together.

20) They Need Productivity Tracking

Great salespeople have great habits. Track yours with time-tracking software and identify areas for improvement in your organization. You’ll discover bottlenecks and inefficiencies that you may never have noticed before, so be sure to incorporate your findings into your strategy going forward. Time tracking tools can be as simple as an app on your smartphone or as complex as enterprise software—either way, they will provide important insights into how you should structure your sales team moving forward.

21) Give Consistent Leadership

A sales manager needs to walk his or her team through any challenges that they may face and take them through every step of their journey.

At no point should he or she leave anyone behind; if one member of a team falls short in their performance, all members suffer from it.

The most effective managers have an understanding of every aspect of their business and know how each part works together in order to maximize output, so they can coach their team accordingly. They also need to be able to provide consistent leadership for everyone on their team because different people require different approaches.

For example, some people respond better when praised while others work best under pressure. Effective leaders are able to tailor their approach based on what will motivate each individual employee.

22) Streamline the Sales Process

To streamline sales processes, start by clarifying your sales cycle. How long does it take for a prospect to actually buy from you? And how much time passes between one stage of a sale and another? To shorten that cycle, cut out needless steps. After streamlining your sales process, train your team in what works.

Make sure everyone is on board with your new strategy, too—if they aren’t, they might sabotage it. For example, if you’re moving away from cold calling, make sure your reps understand why cold calls are no longer allowed and what other tactics will be used instead.

23) Understand Your Sales Team’s Differences

While you want every member of your sales team to hold each customer’s interests at heart, each individual has his or her own skill set and strengths.

When it comes to growing business goals, it’s important for you to understand how best each person can contribute. This will help you develop a diverse team that works together better than any one employee could alone.

For example, if you have an extroverted salesman who loves meeting new people but struggles with closing deals, consider pairing him with an introverted colleague who thrives on building long-term relationships but is less comfortable in high-pressure situations.

You might also look at other factors, such as gender or age: Studies show men are more likely to negotiate aggressively and women tend to focus more on feelings. All these differences can be used as assets when paired appropriately within a sales team. Once you know what makes each team member unique, you can use their skills to support everyone else’s contributions.

What Should You Do When Your Sales Team is Underperforming?

Perhaps your sales team is underperforming and not meeting your company’s revenue goals.

Before you start shuffling salespeople around, it may be a good idea to consider which type of performer may be better suited for each position on your team.

For example, if you have a small team with no room for expansion and an in-house marketing department, hiring an extroverted salesperson who can bring in new leads may not be worth your time or money.

Instead, look for someone with previous experience in your industry who has proven they can sell effectively.

While they might not be as flashy as a top salesperson from another industry, they will likely meet your short-term goals more effectively than someone else would.

Additionally, you should work with your team to ensure that everyone understands their role within your organization and that all positions are filled by people capable of achieving success within those roles.

If there are any problems or questions about whether a person is well-suited for their job, don’t hesitate to address them directly—as long as you do so respectfully.

Even if it doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong, check in every once in a while just to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Conclusion

For any business, one of the most important tasks at hand is making sure that the sales team is selling as much as possible, and selling to the right customers. A good sales team can be responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, so it’s essential to keep them happy and productive to stay profitable.