Five steps to a more resilient sales team
- Yogesh Babu
- Sep 9, 2020
- 3 min read
With most (if not all) companies finalizing sales and marketing targets well in advance, brand owners/decision-makers are facing a tough choice today as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold.
Do they drive as many sales as possible today or do they prepare for the future?
In reality, most decision-makers are trying to do both, of course, but the immense pressure on their current cash flows is pushing them to focus on the short term leading some companies to attempt to recapture lost revenues by increasing their sales targets. With a lockdown of over 90 days in many markets, the heightened targets are unrealistic and can further demoralize their sales teams who are currently adapting to the next normal of remote selling.
With all things that are at play to achieve short term objectives, brands would need to invest further in their sales teams focussing on their psychological health and capabilities to ensure that they are ready to stay ahead of the competition when the economy recovered (Backed by Mckinsey Research)
5 actions to uplift resilience in your sales teams
1. Re-evaluate your expectations
The pandemic has had a significant impact on your revenue targets this year. The leadership team needs to recognise that meeting their initial targets maybe (read as "will be") almost impossible to achieve and set realistic expectations.
Leaders should consider basing their new targets on a set of different scenarios to allow a realistic adjustment to revenue expectations. Once brands define the range of scenarios (and achievable revenues), it can further be broken down by business units and individuals. Similarly, individual performance / annual KPIs need to be updated accordingly to motivate sales reps to hold them accountable for their performance.
2. Redefine your incentive plan
With a significant portion of their remuneration from commissions for many sales reps, a downturn in their income is inevitable. To retain their talent, companies need to consider doing two things. First, financial security, And second, redefine your incentive plan for the longer term.
3. Invest in your sales-force to upskill for the recovery
Many B2B companies have shifted their go-to-market (GTM) model toward digital and remote selling. A survey from Mckinsey concluded that two-thirds of B2B decision-makers believe that their new model is as effective, if not more so than previous models. Safe to say that B2B companies expect digital interactions to be more important to their customers going forward.
With the shift to digital, brands need to be thoughtful about the skills their representatives need to excel in during this digital remote reality.
Upskilling your sales reps tell them unequivocally that they are important and valued, while also motivating them to succeed in the digitally driven recovery.
4. Enable your sales-force
Speed, transparency, and expertise. 3 things B2B buyers indicated that they value from sellers
However, leaders should take the time to realign their sales operations to cater to the digital selling world .i.e. tools, systems, and processes, and equip their sales-force to deliver both in the short term and the long term (at scale)
5. Communicate with vision and clarity
Yes, its a cliché but decision-makers fall short, especially during a crisis. Probably because of external pressures. However, the best leaders focus on communicating a clear vision and demonstrate their commitment to the team. Today, communication plays an even more important role when those working from home can feel isolated and "disconnected".
Keeping the team focused and energized is pivotal for laying the foundation for any organization's performance heading into the recovery.
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