If you’re looking to build and motivate a sales team for your business but you don’t know where to begin then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re building your first-ever sales team or adding to your additional one, you need to ensure you have a strong team of people there to help you grow your business.

While it may be overwhelming to both hire and motivate your sales team at first, there are lots of things you can do to make the process as simple as possible. From holding in-depth interviews to giving them everything they need to complete their job, the more you’re doing for them the better. With that in mind, here are some top tips for building and motivating the perfect sales team:

Building Your Sales Team

When it comes to building the perfect sales team, you need to ensure you’re doing all that you can from the get-go. This means thinking about the job application process. Here are some of our top tips to help.

Research Qualities Sales People Should Have

If you haven’t started building your ideal sales team already, you need to start looking into all of the qualities that a salesperson should have. Although you may need your team members to have a few different qualities than the standard, most salespeople will need to have a few key skills in order to be successful. From the ability to build rapport to the confidence to close a sale, if you’re hiring people without these skills then chances are your business is going to struggle. If you’re looking for the skills every salesperson should have, you can visit this site here.

Put Together a Detailed Job Description

Once you know what skills your salespeople should have, you can start putting together a detailed job description. This will not only list the skills and experience you would like your team members to have, but it will also detail what the job will entail for them. This not only gives them an idea of the skills they need to have but it lets them know whether or not the job is going to be something they would enjoy. By seeing the day to day activities they’re going to be carrying out, they will get a good idea of what is expected of them should they be hired.

If it helps, you can get a professional to look over the job description before you publish it anywhere.

Advertise Where You Know Salespeople Are Going to Be Looking

When you have your job description ready, you need to make sure you’re advertising it where you know salespeople are going to be looking. Although there are lots of different places for you to post the job advert, it’s much better to use websites that are going to be frequented by salespeople. That way, you know you’re going to get the highest calibre of people applying for the position.

If you are unsure where to find the right people, you may want to consider working with a recruitment agency. They will be able to advertise the position for you, pre-approving the people that come to you for an interview.

Hold in-Depth Interviews

Once you have started to get applicants in, you can filter through the applications to find those that you want to interview. Although when you go through a CV you’re going to be matching it up to the skills that you require, you can also interview those that do not have all the skills you need. Sometimes, there are people that stand out to you for other reasons.

When you hold your interviews, you need to be as in-depth as you possibly can. This means asking lots of questions that will help you determine how they work as a salesperson. If it helps, you can plan activities for them to take part in. There are lots of examples of these online.

If you’re currently unable to interview people because of the pandemic, it’s a good idea to think about the changes you may need to make when conducting it online.

Consider Group Interviews at the Second Stage

Once you have held your first round of interviews, you may want to think about holding a second round. This isn’t something you have to do, but it’s a great way to see how people work together as a team and how their personalities can clash. You need to ensure you have a strong team of people and the best way to do that is to give them group activities to try together. At this stage, you will be able to see who won’t be a good fit and who will. For a guide to group interviews, you can visit this site here.

Offer the Roles to Those Most Suitable

After you have held all of your interviews, you need to make your final decisions. It may be difficult, but you should have everything you need to know who is going to be the right fit for the job. Remember, when you’re offering out these roles, they may not necessarily say yes. The interview process is just as much for them to find out whether or not they want to work for you too.

Once you have offered them the job, they can get started.

Motivating Your Sales Team

Once you have hired your incredible team, you need to be sure you’re doing all that you can to keep them motivated.

Ensure You Offer Training When Needed

Whether you need to offer them training when you first hire them or it’s something you need to do throughout their time within the business, it’s important you’re offering them the training that they need to progress within the business. This could be internal or external training.

As standard, you should be offering internal training at least once a year. Whether it’s a training refresh or training on new systems and process, you should be training them as often as you can. A great system to train your staff on, for example, is Reveal and Reveal embedded analytics.

Give Them Everything They Need to Work

Another great way to ensure they’re staying motivated is to ensure you’re giving them everything that they need to work efficiently. Whether that means giving them a high-powered laptop or providing them with sales tools, they will be grateful that you’re providing them with everything they need. If they ask you for something and you think it will help, it’s often best to trust their instincts.

Offer a Comfortable Space to Work In

On a similar note, you also need to be sure you’re offering them a comfortable space to work in. For most, this will be an office space that makes them feel motivated. From their own personal desk to the spaces in which they choose to relax, it’s important that you create a space that they want to spend time in each and every day.

As there is currently a pandemic that is preventing people from working in office environments, you need to think about how you can make the home space they work from just as comfortable. It may cost you to provide them with what they need, but it will be worth it when it ensures their productivity remains high.

Provide Rewards for Those That Perform Well

Sales roles are usually driven by rewards, so you need to be sure you’re offering rewards to those that do well. In most cases, this will mean offering a percentage of the sales they make as a commission. It will help, however, if you also offer other rewards to top salesmen. From bonuses to gifts, it’s important to show you appreciate the work they’re doing. After all, without them, you wouldn’t be bringing in any money to the business.

Ensure There Are Career Progression Opportunities

Salespeople are ambitious people, so you need to be sure there are career progressions opportunities available for them. Whether it’s a sales manager role or something higher, the opportunities need to be there.

Offer Flexible Working if Needed

If your team members ask for flexible working, this is something you should offer. As long as they are bringing in an income for the business, they should be allowed to manage their own time.

Give People an Open Space to Discuss Things They’re Not Happy With

Finally, you need to be sure you’re offering your employees the space to discuss what they’re not happy with. Whether they’re struggling with their workload or they have an issue with a member of staff, they should be able to trust you as a business owner. Not only will this make their experience better while working for you but it will entice them to stay longer.

With lots of great tips and tricks to help you build and motivate your team, you can be sure you’re doing all that you can. What else can you do? Did we miss anything off of the list? Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.