Enhancing Sales Force Effectiveness

Sales reps have a demanding job. They spend nearly their entire day on the road, deal with a myriad of clients, and are constantly working to cross-sell, up-sell, and keep everyone in the organization happy. Managers of sales reps should be asking themselves: “How can I make my reps' life easier?” We’ve compiled the top 5 pain points for sales reps in the field. Take a look and see which of these can be quickly remedied, and which will take more time to alleviate.

1.  Spending Time Looking for Info on Clients

When reps pick up a new client from a coworker, they need to be updated on that client’s personality, preferences, regular orders, etc. Word-of-mouth can leave reps and clients frustrated in this situation, as details can easily be passed over or forgotten, and relationships which have been nurtured over time can begin to deteriorate quickly. Instead, a Field Activity Management solution is a great way to digitally store all client information in one place. Any client details and photos can be organized and saved within the majority of Field Activity Management software options. Reps want to prepare properly when going in to meet with a client—managers can make a few small tweaks and create a world of difference in the workday of their reps.

2.  Poor Quality Training

Not all salespeople are created equally. Sales tactics come more naturally to certain people, but a true understanding of the industry your organization operates within and the peculiarities associated with it should be acknowledged in a formal training program for dedicated salespeople, and in informal training for those whose primary role lies outside of sales. Role playing exercises and product information quizzes are a good way to grow and test your reps' product knowledge and sales techniques.

3.  Poor Communication

Beyond the basic utility of a good communication system, giving reps the ability to informally chat with each other can do wonders for organizational morale and team culture. Traditional watercooler conversations tend not to happen as much when employees are on-the-go, and facilitating those kinds of conversations should be a high priority for managers. Offer employees a dedicated platform for communication, like a chat function available in Field Activity Management software, your reps will be happier, better connected, and your customer service will improve as rep communication gets better.

4. Filling Out Paperwork

Let’s be honest—is there anyone who does like doing paperwork? Salespeople are no exception. There are plenty of options for managers who want to eliminate the traditional physical paperwork loathed by salespeople in the field. Find a software that allows customizable forms and easy data capture, and let salespeople focus on sales. Another thing important to keep in mind when considering a replacement for physical paperwork: the data should be able to be easily backed up—whether to the cloud or a private server—and the data should be able to be easily exported to management and other members of the organization who it can serve.

5.  Bad Territories

Organizations with even a few sales reps should have some sort of territory system already in place to avoid cannibalization of leads. Reps should have some input into where they operate, but at the end of the day, it is the duty of managers to make sure that sales territories are optimized for the person operating within them. If certain clients don’t respond well to a certain rep, consider altering their territory to exclude that client, or switch their territory assignment with that of a rep who you feel will perform well in this scenario. Most importantly, leverage tools which can create, manage, and analyze territories on a regular basis. 

Keeping every salesperson happy is difficult, but not impossible. Actively listening to what employees have to say and making changes accordingly is vital to keeping team morale high and avoiding low levels of customer satisfaction. Managers should do everything in their power to let salespeople focus on sales—let software handle the rest.