To expand or not to expand? This is a question many sales organizations face all the time. It’s one of the many important decisions you will face. Expand your team at the right time and you could help take your company to the next level. Expand at the wrong time, and you could hurt your company’s bottom line and have to scale back in the future.

The size of your sales team plays an important role in your ability to capture sales, but you also have to weigh this against other factors such as budgeting and operations considerations. So, is now a good time to expand?

In this blog, Toronto sales recruiters take a look at the top signs that it’s time to expand your sales team:

1. Strong Sales

Does your organization have consistently strong sales numbers? Strong sales is always an indicator that it’s time to look at expanding your sales team or strategy. Strong sales numbers provide you with additional capital that you can use to build out your sales team to ensure you have the ability to keep up with customer requests. Expanding sooner rather than later will help you scale up at an efficient rate and avoid unnecessary growing pains or issues meeting customer demand.

2. You Can’t Keep Up With Demand

Is your sales team struggling to keep up with customer demand? Are there not enough hours in the day to get everything done? Are you leaving money on the table? Do you feel like you are always playing from behind?

These are all signs that you could use some help. If you can’t keep up with demand, assess where you need assistance. It may be with sales, prospecting, customer service or fulfillment. Hire people with the right skills to help you keep up with demand.

3. Strong Customer Base

Do you have a loyal customer base? Do you have consistent sales? If you are regularly turning a profit and consistently have money coming in, it may be time to reinvest in your sales team. Perform an analysis of your sales over the past few quarters. If you notice profits are on the rise and you are doing a good job of creating repeat customers, then you should consider adding more people to your team. Use your strong customer base to grow your sales team and take things to the next level of development.

4. Lots of Leads in the Funnel

Have a lot of leads in the sales funnel? Have they been easy to come by? If you are regularly generating more sales leads than you can handle, with minimal effort, it’s a sign you need to expand. Don’t allow those leads to go to waste. Adding a new member or two to your team will allow you to capture this potential business and turn prospects into paying customers. Assess how many leads you are failing to address and determine how many reps you will need to keep up.

5. Consistent Growth

Has your company been on a consistent growth path and forecasting to continue to do so for the foreseeable future? You need to include your sales team in your growth plans. If you are planning to grow, you need to have the right people in place to capitalize. Being reactionary and trying to hire once you are already overrun will cost you leads, customers, and profit.

6. You Have a Strong Sales Process in Place

Is your current success a result of your strong sales process? Do you have a systematic approach to how you generate leads, win new business, and grow your sales? If so, then you are well-positioned to add new members to your sales team. A strong process and track record of success removes the guesswork out of the equation.

7. Introducing New Solutions

Is a new product/service launch on the horizon? Is your company planning a large marketing campaign? If you are expanding your business offerings, you need to ensure you have the right size sales team to support it. The same situation applies if you are planning to expand the geographic reach of your company. For example, if you’ve focused on local sales to this point and plan to expand to a national level, you will need additional sales reps to support growth.

8. Industry Growth and Innovation

Is your industry experiencing a growth phase? Are new innovations broadening your industry capabilities? If your industry is entering a boom period, you need to capitalize. Adding new sales reps to your team now will ensure you are positioned to get the most out of the situation.

More Sales Team Advice From Toronto Sales Headhunters

A strong sales team can help your company thrive, but no two sales teams are the same. Here are some great blogs by our expert Toronto sales recruiters that can help you successfully manage your sales team:

Noticing a Drop in Sales? 7 Ways to Get Your Sales Team Back on Track

9 Common Reasons to Fire a Salesperson

Healthy Conflict Is a Part of Sales. 4 Ways to Handle a Sales Rep Who Is ‘Too Nice’

4 Ways to Properly Evaluate Your Sales Team and Make Them Even Better

Do Good Salespeople Have to Be Outgoing and Have a Big Personality?

Do You Have Enough Reps on Your Sales Team?

Should You Hire an Overqualified Candidate on Your Sales Team?

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.