Make your salespeople more effective

Salespeople are the human face to your company. They need to have good presentation and communication skills as well as a strong belief in your company's policies, goods and services.

Whether you are looking to recruit a sales team or make your existing team more effective, it is worth considering the following factors:

Motivation

People need incentives to work towards. Companies often employ salespeople on a commission basis so that they are financially driven to sell. Bonus schemes and holidays also help to boost motivation. A word of caution, however. Make sure that the commission is not too large a part of the remuneration package, otherwise the salesperson will be driven to sell regardless of customer wants and needs. Today's salesperson needs to have a more consultative approach to the sale and it's vital to retain customers because of the cost of gaining them in the first place.

You should also make sure that the communication channels are open so that each individual is able to provide input and feedback. When attempting to motivate your team, also pay attention to long-term factors such as career structure and promotional opportunities.

Rapport

Make sure that your salespeople are an integral part of the company. Offer and provide all of the necessary information about the company, but do not bombard individuals with irrelevant matters. Arrange regular meetings and events to involve your salespeople with aspects of the company. This will encourage your salespeople to believe, defend and reflect the policies and convictions of your company.

Expectation

Make the sales targets and guidelines clear to your salespeople throughout their employment with your company. For example, how will you measure performance? What is the number of hours worked? What are your policies? Learn from the tactics of other salespeople.

Training

Before salespeople begin work they should attend a training session to learn about the company and your sales approach. This should include:

the ethics of selling
body language
note taking
presenting information
coping with difficult situations
developing creative thinking

ensure that your employees gain experience of the practical aspects of selling so that they have confidence and assertiveness before they embark upon their first sale.