How to Build a Sales Team
You may have the best product in the world, but if you don't have a complete sales team with the knowledge, desire, dedication and talent to sell that product, you cannot be successful. To build a strong sales team, you need people with expertise in your field, who are eager to learn and who are ambitious about making money. The more money salespeople want to make, the harder they will work.
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Instructions
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How to Build a Sales Team
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Look outside the normal channels for employees. You might find a competent salesperson for technical products among the ranks of teachers, or a mechanic might be a good fit for selling cars.
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Make a list of the characteristics you want in your sales employees, and evaluate and hire candidates on how well they fit your needs. Candidates who pass your initial screening should not have anything questionable in their work history or resumes. Pay attention to how well an applicant sells himself to you, which may indicate how well he will sell your product.
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Teach your sales staff every aspect of your business, including knowledge of how the product is made, the ordering process, and warehouse and shipping procedures.
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Define your target market, so your team understands exactly who to sell to. Teach them also how to find and approach the decision makers in target businesses.
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Train your staff in product knowledge. A salesperson should not only be able to describe the features, advantages and benefits of a product, but should also be able to demonstrate the product to the prospective buyer. Role play sales pitches with staff before sending them out.
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Schedule regular meetings to review your product line, introduce new products and review selling techniques. Include sessions on professionalism, dress code and customer relations.
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Teach your sales team how to handle resistance, listen to potential customers and answer questions completely.
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Track your staff's activities, including number of sales calls, who they talked to and what they talked about. Don't rely only on sales to determine how well an employee is doing. Regularly review each salesperson's records together.
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Motivate your sales team by rewarding them for work well done. Give rewards, such as bonuses, prizes or public recognition based on what motivates each individual employee. Consider holding an annual sales meeting in a fun location, such as on a cruise.
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Tips & Warnings
Schedule sales meetings at times that are not prime for sales calls.
