Inside Sales Lead Management Featured Article

How do you build a team that can deliver powerful results? You may be able to identify talent, but can you help the new hire parlay that talent into measurable results? This is often the challenge for a number of organizations seeking to build the stellar team, especially when it comes to sales. Inside sales lead management benefits the most from top performers, but how do you ensure that this is what you’ve found?

A recent article in the Entrepreneur explored this concept, sharing the secrets to building the world-class sales team. Citing a study conducted by the University of Southern California, 71 percent of sales leaders consider the ability to recruit and retain top sales talent as their highest concern. Yet, according to the MHI Global Sales Best Practices Study, only 8.5 percent of sales professionals could actually be considered world class.

If this large of a gap exists, is there a proven way to build a world class sales team? Entrepreneur offers a few insights. Let’s borrow from their list and see how it may apply to your inside sales lead management team.

Balance inside and outside sales – you have to know for sure what kind of sales each division of your team should handle. If you set them up for failure…you get the idea. Are bigger deals better handled by your outside reps? Are more detailed transactions more successful when dealt with by the inside team? Dig deep into your current processes so you can accurately answer these questions.

Rewards – it may be a given that the sales team gets rewarded, but are you doing so according to performance? It’s easy to simply hand out the commissions, but are you recognizing those who go above and beyond? Likewise, are you limiting what your sales reps can make? Remember, one is a reward and one is a penalty – don’t set your team up to stop.

Be Realistic – you want your quotas to challenge your sales team, but don’t put them out of reach. The sales rep unable to reach their potential will quickly look elsewhere for employment. At the same time, the quota set too low will leave the seasoned rep bored. Find the right number that challenges, rewards and keeps it interesting.

Get Everyone Involved it the Celebration – it’s not uncommon for your support team to be disconnected from the sales team. Greater bonuses and special treatment doesn’t help, but let’s face it – they earn it. If you get everyone involved in the celebration so they understand what it means, you’re more likely to connect the two. Plus, if you can reward those who help contribute to that success on the inside, you’ll get more people moving in the right direction.

Keep a Competitive Spirit – there’s nothing fun about a sales team that fails to keep it competitive. Everyone wants to win, especially sales people. Foster a healthy competitive spirit so you can take your good inside sales lead management team to a new level of greatness.

If you’re struggling to build the world class team, take these points to heart and apply them wherever possible. Then, watch your sales soar.