Tactics for Field Sales Managers to Manage a Winning Team

July 12, 2022

Managing a field sales team is a job that requires a lot of effort. Supporting your team is done from a distance most of the time and can range from providing proper training to providing the right field sales software. Here are some of the most important tactics to help you manage a winning field sales team.

Communication

Communication is key for managing any team, and even more so for a team that’s always on the road. It is important that you establish a very clear, open line of communication between yourself and the team. Be sure to keep the rules of communication short and sweet, so as not to confuse your reps.

You must remain constant and consistent in communicating with your team so that they always know what is happening and what is expected of them. Additionally, you need to make sure your reps feel just as comfortable communicating with you, as you do with them. Everyone will be more successful when they can ask questions and share concerns openly to resolve and improve issues.

Critical Feedback

A significant strategy for managing a successful field sales team is providing feedback. Create a habit of providing feedback in formal and informal ways. It’s important to choose the appropriate setting for the level of feedback you are delivering so that it will be received most effectively. Be sure you are giving constructive criticism and also praising your sales reps for what they are doing well.

Just as with communication, you should make your team feel comfortable and encourage them to provide feedback on your leadership skills. You may find new and more efficient ways to manage your team.

Consistent Training

Providing regular training is a great way to encourage your field sales reps to improve and to ensure they are always performing to the best of their ability. Sharing the most up-to-date sales and product knowledge with your team will help them refine their selling techniques and give them the information they need to best sell to different prospects.

Incentives for High Performing Reps

Being praised for doing a good job is always nice but being rewarded is even more pleasing. Reward your sales team for being successful. Set goals and provide rewards that coincide with meeting or surpassing those goals. Your team will feel appreciated for their hard work and be encouraged to continue increasing their performance.

Offer rewards of various sizes that are dependent upon the sales reps’ performance level. Different things you may offer could include bonuses, team lunches, and vacation time. Find out what motivates your team in order to choose a reward that will be the most encouraging.

Using the Right Sales Software

Supplying your reps with the right sales software is crucial for continued success. Field sales software plays a huge role in how appointments are scheduled, orders are placed, customer relationships are managed, and time is tracked. The software you choose should simplify your employee’s job as well as the customer experience.

Helping your reps keep their customers and their orders organized in the field should be the main goal of your chosen software. Equipping your team with CRM (customer relationship management) tools can help them to manage contact strategies and prioritize accounts within their sales pipeline. Choosing software that is designed with field-based teams in mind will lead to the most success among your field sales team.

See how Perenso's field sales software can help you better manage a winning team.