But then Covid-19 hit. Sales teams were sent home overnight to work from home offices. The “classic” teamwork was turned on its head.
Panicked companies worried about their future put orders on hold. In industries particularly affected by the pandemic, companies laid off their employees or put them on short-time work. For sales teams, the usual sales, delivery, and customer care processes changed without warning.
Although the economic forecast is uncertain, sales managers should not downsize their teams. There are ways to adapt to the new way of working and to guide employees through this unprecedented period of time.
As lockdowns around the world begin to ease, there is a chance that some salespeople may return to the office. However, there is nothing to suggest that there will be a return to “business as usual” in the foreseeable future. Working from home is likely to be the “new norm” for some time to come.
There are so many rules in everyday office structures, plus both written and unwritten expectations. A lot of that had to change, from cybersecurity to communication channels.
Working from home is a completely new situation, and the changes are unsettling for many. How sales managers lead and motivate their sales teams in the new world of remote working will ultimately determine success.
So how can sales managers successfully motivate sales teams in the new normal work scenario?
Transition to a virtual sales model
Traditional face-to-face interactions are increasingly being replaced by video conferences. Even if only temporarily, the pandemic has forced us into a kind of dystopian virtual world. We live and breathe on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and other such channels.
What does this mean for sales? The motivation of sales teams must be placed in context.
A report from McKinsey and Company on the change in sales states that B2B sellers responded with astonishing speed: Around 90 percent have switched to working remotely via video conference or telephone.
The McKinsey report provides some useful insights into what will determine the potential success of a new virtual sales model. The effectiveness of remote work isn't simply determined by switching to digital channels. Success depends on how salespeople are deployed to work across different channels and how they are helped to navigate the new sales processes so they can confidently redesign the customer experience.
Leadership is key
This includes enabling employees to work effectively and efficiently from home, creating and managing new expectations, and verifying how employees are fairly compensated.
Leaders must provide more individual guidance on work practices and expectations. Practical things such as security, access to applications, process instructions, and naming contacts for all questions are crucial to make it easier for employees to transition to the new rules for remote working. Personnel and other guidelines must also be revised. Some standardization and structuring will help salespeople feel more secure when working remotely.
Sales managers must use this as an opportunity to review processes. Sales teams may need to temporarily focus less on revenue and more on supporting and helping customers and building relationships. Services must be reassessed with a longer-term perspective. Salespeople won't feel motivated if sales goals are unattainable.
Communication is the basis for everything
Without the usual personal interactions in the office, communication is crucial. Executives should schedule frequent short video meetings to keep sales teams in touch. A separate channel should be set up for communication between team members so that everyone is on the same page and has an overview of the processes. Using various tools will only complicate things and will almost certainly alienate some people.
Sales managers must schedule regular phone calls with each individual team member. You need to find out how each individual employee is doing:
Do they have a family?
Is it difficult to make calls at certain times?
When do they start working and when do they finish it?
Are they taking proper breaks? (There is no chat at the water dispenser at home).
Work-life balance is even more important now that the line between home and work is becoming more and more blurred.
Celebrate small successes
Praise is even more important for employees who work remotely. It's very easy for more reserved team members to disappear under the radar when they're working from home. In the current climate, selling won't be easy. Sales is a tough job even at the best of times. Working from home also makes public recognition more difficult.
In a crisis, a bad sales day is not necessarily a bad sales day. Building relationships and making good customer calls is very important right now. Salespeople need to figure out how to support customers. Are there any partner companies that can help?
Set realistic expectations
Are the sales quotas set at the beginning of the year really achievable in the current climate? Many salespeople may be worried about their job security, especially when their usual business profit rate has dropped significantly.
Review incentive systems
Encourage activity and review any compensation plans or commission systems. Offering small daily or weekly cash rewards or meal cards could be a welcome incentive. Setting smaller sales goals and celebrating small successes will help build trust in the team. You can still celebrate your star sellers.
Encourage team engagement
In the office, working relationships develop easily in strong teams. Birthday cakes, lunchtime chats, and drinks after work help these relationship threads germinate and grow. So how do you replace team building activities in remote teams? It takes a lot more effort to keep team bonding alive with people who work remotely. Virtual coffees and Zoom drinks are a great way to get involved in a more casual way.
Empathize, listen, inspire, and encourage
In a webinar on the topic of “Keeping your sales team motivated and managed through Covid-19,” sales management expert Michael Wills talks openly about the need for sales managers to be “people first” and “sales managers second” during the pandemic. In the current climate, sales figures are declining. It's up to sales managers to divert concerns about the numbers from the CEO and other members of the executive team.
It's very easy to question employee motivation when you can't see what they're doing. In the office, too, a culture of trust is an essential ingredient for sales success. Even more effort must be made to maintain the relationship of trust when employees work remotely.
Motivating the sales team depends on knowing what your salespeople need. Listening to employees is key. Why not find out how your remote team is doing with a WeThrive employee engagement survey? Find out what you're missing and reimagine your strategy for recovery and growth.
