How to prove the value of your sales team

As a sales manager, you’re under relentless pressure to prove the value of your team, all within an ever-changing business ecosystem. Of all departments, the sales department feels the impact of every change, big or small, that occurs in the business. Whether it’s a change in strategic direction that calls for a new way of selling, a shift in the market or the tactics of a competitor, or a new leader transforming the way the business is run, how the success of a sales team is measured is constantly changing, which means sales managers need to use everything in their arsenal to measure and capture these results as clearly and simply as possible.

According to Adam Thorp, Managing Director of TRED International – an organisation that specialises in optimising sales operations – where most sales managers go awry is that they stick to a set formula for reporting on the value and ROI of their team. What they need to do is have their strategy and objectives clear in their mind, while also accepting that every scenario and sales person should be treated as an individual.

The not-so obvious measures of performance

While an obvious measure is how a sales person is performing against their targets, you need to look at their contribution outside of dollars and cents. “At the end of the day it comes down to the quality of their engagement and interaction with customers, and how this supports the business’ overall objectives,” says Thorp. “And a sales manager’s ability to improve the quality of their team’s interactions is where they really come into their own.”

“The importance here is observation, feedback and coaching,” says Thorp. “As a manager you need to understand what makes each of your team members tick, and then pull those levers – and you can’t know that unless you’re observing them and are able to provide feedback.”

“Any technology or tool that helps sales managers understand the quality of engagement their team is having with customers is a must have,” says Thorp. “60 Seconds is an important piece of the jigsaw puzzle and a great lense through which to review your team’s performance because you can see the prep they are going through in the lead up to meetings, understand their level of product knowledge, the type of conversations they are having with customers and then provide real time feedback.”

Being able to record, review and measure this performance is important for both a manager and sales professionals themselves. As Thorp explains, “Everyone likes feedback and knowing how they are performing. And without quality data behind you, you’re relying on assumptions and won’t be able to tweak your approach and be as good as you can be.”

How to capture the quality of a conversation

Giving your sales team the ability to rehearse their sales conversations, review and compare their delivery with their peers, and receive feedback in real-time is critical to the development of their sales skills and the quality of their conversations. Not just a tool to facilitate this professional development, 60 Seconds gives sales managers the data to gauge the volume and quality of their team’s interactions, giving you a simple and automated way to alleviate the ongoing pressure to prove your team’s ROI.