Pandemic has made us realize the importance of working from home. With that said, remote sales teams are increasing and making their way into the mainstream. The sales departments of most businesses are going remote.
Setting up remote sales teams are helping companies and especially sales managers to pick talented people from around the world. Furthermore, it’s benefiting productivity and increasing cash flow.
The trend of remote sales team is on the rise! But as everyone is new to the “remote dimension,” mistakes are also skyrocketing. Although the errors are common, it’s holding back the full potential of a remote team.
Here are some common mistakes that you must avoid if you are new to remote sales.
Forgetting Professionalism
It’s easy to forget professionalism when you’re working remotely. However, it’s great to be friendly with your remote sales team. But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the end result! You and your team must sell in order to run the business.
Being too friendly or casual with your team can relax them. And believe me that it can ruin the whole sales operation of your business. Try stressing on professionalism whenever you feel like things are going a little casual.
Don’t go all harsh on your team members. But try maintaining a professional work environment where “sales” are your number one priority. Professionalism in a remote sales work environment can include – attending the meetings, reporting on time, being punctual, and whatnot.
Not Eliminating Distractions
Distractions can play a vital role in drowning your remote sales operations. The barking of Tommy, knocks on the door, and noisy neighbors can easily make you fall in the pit from where it’s hard to come back.
Both managers and team members don’t take distractions seriously. That’s why remote sales teams fail. Do your best to eliminate all the distractions. Forget you’re working from home and turn your room into a workplace.
Lock the door of your room from where you’re working, ask your family members not to disturb you, etc. Make arrangements to eliminate distractions and see your productivity level rise.
Disrespecting Routine of Your Team Members
So you’ve planned a meeting on Monday morning at 9:00 am sharp. But what if some members of your team are living on the opposite side of your time zone? According to us, you’re asking way too much.
Even if everyone is living in the same time zone, we all have different routines. Taking a poll from your team will come in handy to easily handle the situation. Everyone will feel that you, as a manager, respect their routine.
Some managers arrive late to scheduled events or take more time of members than allotted. That’s disrespecting the routine of your team members. Avoid this mistake and see your team investing more than what you have asked for.
Disregarding Socializing
We, humans, are called “social animals” for a reason. Unlike office environments, members of your remote sales teams can’t socialize enough. You, as a manager, need to make arrangements so everyone can socialize.
The consequences of isolation are insane; you must encourage your team to socialize. Set happy hours where everyone gets to share their personal stories, experiences, and more. Plan a movie or game night so that the cycle of socializing doesn’t stop.
Socializing builds trust, improves collaboration skills, and affects mental & physical health. Plant the seed of socializing in your team’s root to see beautiful results!
Picking Wrong Tools
Tech-scene is moving fast!
It’s easy to pick the wrong tools and waste the capital of your company. As a manager, you must keep an eye on software that are beneficial for your remote sales team.
Don’t just buy the tools right away! The world of internet is BIG, look for reviews and guides to learn about the tools you are going to buy. Ask your team members and see if any geek in the circle knows about a better alternative to what you are buying.
As highlighted by Callingly, some essential tools for your remote sales team are Krisp, Slite, and Ambition, and more.
Use multiple perspectives and put them in one place to draw out the conclusion as per your business nature. Look for tools that are user-friendly or have in-depth official guides so that your team members can easily learn them.
Providing Feedback, Come Again?
Know Your Team conducted a survey in which 80 percent of employees wanted more feedback regarding their performance. Lack of feedback can kill the urge of employees to pull out wonders.
As a manager, you must provide honest and genuine feedback to your team members. Even if they aren’t doing great, hand them out some pointers. It will help them to learn from the mistakes and do better in the future.
Feedback is essential, and there’s always a room left for it. Don’t forget about providing feedback to your remote sales team. From suggestions to ideas and pointing out mistakes, your feedback can be anything! Just don’t disregard it.
Poor & Vague Communication
Communication is the key to set-up a great remote sales team. If your organization is lacking communication than it’s time to do something about it. Without proper communication, your team will not be able to perform well.
Take every single person on your team into consideration when you are communicating with them. Take names while assigning tasks and encourage them to ask questions. Don’t scare away your team members by lack of communication. Be there go-to door for asking questions and taking suggestions so that they don’t have to roam around in the assumption loop.
Conclusion
If you don’t repeat the mistakes, you haven’t done any.
And if you have learned from the mistakes of others, you are on the path of success. Startup founders, remote sales professionals, and managers can learn from these common mistakes and avoid regretting later.
Analyze your remote sales team, and one by one, eliminate every mistake you have learned in this piece. Implement the solutions and see your remote sales team fly high!