In the wake of COVID-19, lots of business owners are switching to a work-from-home model. They’re also hiring remote salespeople to help them build their business while still engaging in good social distancing practices.
Are you having a hard time finding the right salespeople to help you grow your business? Are you a sales manager who’s been tasked with bringing on new remote talent?
If the answer to either of those questions is yes, keep reading. Listed below are six strategies you can implement today that will help you to build an incredible remote sales team.
Be Clear About Your Expectations
When it comes to hiring the right people to be part of your sales team, it’s important to start with a clear description of what the job entails and what you expect from the people who work for you. Setting clear expectations right from the beginning makes it easier for you to weed out people who don’t have a certain amount of experience or who don’t have the personality traits that are necessary to be a great remote salesperson.
You should also clarify expectations when you begin the interview process and start talking to candidates on the phone or via video chat. Remember, the more direct you are about what you’re looking for, the easier it is for you to find someone who meets your team’s specific needs.
Review Resumes with Care
It’s common for hiring managers to only give resumes a cursory glance when looking for new employees. If you want to put together a great remote sales team, though, it will pay off to spend a little more time reviewing resumes for each applicant.
During the resume review process, pay special attention to the applicant’s work history. Are there any big gaps in employment on their resume? On the other end of the spectrum, do they seem like a job-hopper, someone who goes from job to job very quickly?
Neither one of these should be an automatic deal-breaker. It’s important to keep them in mind, though, and address them during the interview. You don’t want to bring someone onto your sales team who won’t be committed to the job and helping your company grow, right?
Conduct a Sales Assessment
Since you’re hiring someone to be part of your sales team, you ought to take the time to see how good they are at selling, right?
A sales assessment that simulates the typical selling experience is a win-win. It will give you a chance to see candidates in action. It also gives them a chance to see what it will be like to be part of your sales team.
During your assessment, find out whether or not the candidate understands how to qualify leads. Do they know the difference between an A, B, and C lead? Do they know the importance of finding leads who have the authority and budget to make a purchase, as well as a plan to actually buy what you’re selling?
A salesperson who lacks this basic knowledge might not be a great fit for your team. They might have a harder time bringing in leads who are likely to become customers, which could affect your bottom line or reflect badly on you as a sales manager.
Review Behavior
Because these members of your sales team are going to be working remotely, it’s essential that they exhibit good work behaviors and have the capacity to get things done while also having a high level of independence.
Talk to candidates about their ability to work independently and stay motivated without having a supervisor breathing down their neck. Ask about times when they’ve worked without supervision and find out how they handle those kinds of situations, too.
The answers they give to these kinds of questions will help you see if they have what it takes to be part of a remote sales team and be productive even when no one’s watching them.
Don’t Underestimate Newcomers
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of experience and sales knowledge. At the same time, though, there are advantages to hiring newcomers who haven’t spent a lot of time in the sales world.
When you bring people onto your sales team who are new to the concept of remote sales but who are eager to learn, you have a chance to mold them into the exact type of remote salesperson that you need. This is why it’s good to look for people who want to grow and who will be receptive to feedback.
Sometimes, this is even more important than hiring someone who has lots of sales experience. After all, if they’re a seasoned salesperson, they might be set in their ways and less willing to make adjustments to their approach to fit your specific business model and method of doing things.
Use the Right Tools
Finally, make sure you’re using the right tools to build and connect with your remote sales team. If you want to get a more genuine sense of how a person handles sales calls and other aspects of their job, it’s best if you can conduct your interview and sales assessment via video. This helps you see their body language and view their approach in a more holistic way.
When it comes to connecting with your team and evaluating their performance once they’ve been hired, be sure to use a good project management software, too. This helps you keep track of the work your sales team is doing, stay in touch with new-hires, and ensures that everyone is on the same page.
Start Build Your Dream Remote Sales Team Today
Have you been feeling daunted at the idea of putting together an effective remote sales team? If so, hopefully, the information outlined above has shown you that it can be done. Keep these six tips in mind and you’ll have no trouble finding great salespeople to help you build your business from afar.
When it comes to improving your remote sales strategy and investing in the right tools, don’t forget about the benefits of automated lead call back, either. Using lead call back technology like Callingly can help you and your sales team get back to leads as quickly as possible and increase your chances of converting them into paying customers.
Contact us today to learn more about Callingly. You can also check out our other blog posts for more tips on running a great sales team.