There’s no doubt that your sales force is the group of employees that is most responsible for leading the way to higher profits. If your sales team isn’t top-notch, you’ll see a decrease in sales and customer satisfaction. In order for your company to grow, you need a stronger sales team that is willing and able to go out there and get sales. If you’re seeing a decline in performance or profits, it might be time to build a stronger sales team. Here’s how to go about it in an effective way.

Get the Right Reps

In order to have a stronger sales team, you need to have strong sales people. Take a good look at your team. Are there reps who never seem to meet their quotas, always have lower sales numbers than their peers, or don’t seem to be go-getters who are going out and finding new customers? If you have lazy, unmotivated, or unqualified reps, you’ll never be able to build the stronger sales team that you need.

Get the Right Manager

A sales team is only as good as its manager. If you don’t hire a sales manager who can successfully motivate and coach your team, you can’t expect much from them. Though sales people are mostly independent in their jobs, they still need leadership in order to succeed.

One-on-One Coaching

Not everyone learns the same way and not everyone can benefit from the same kinds of training. Providing one-on-one coaching with individual sales people can build a stronger sales team. It’s your job to keep them up to date on the new selling techniques, provide them with training, and constantly work with them to make them better sales people. This can include call shadowing, role playing, or monthly learning days. Continuous learning and coaching is vital.

Get in the Field with Them

The best way to understand how your sales reps work-what their strengths are, and what their weaknesses are-is to get out in the field with them. Go to sales calls with them and observe them, but don’t hijack the meeting! Simply sit and watch. See how they talk to the clients, how well they listen, how effective their negotiation skills are, and what aspects of their sales pitch they can work on.

Hold Them Accountable

Your sales people should be held accountable for their actions. They’ll take more care and consideration in the deals they make, the negotiations they partake in, the conversations they have with customers, and the end results of their work. You’ll create a more responsible sales force and a stronger sales team.

Communicate

One of the most effective ways to build a stronger sales team is to communicate-the more the better! Build an environment where all reps feel comfortable asking questions, expressing concerns, and asking for help. A good sales manager won’t just demand quotas and file paperwork-he’ll talk to his team and listen so he can truly understand what’s going on with the team and why it might not be functioning as efficiently as it could be, or used to be.

Focus on Customers, Not Numbers

Although closing deals is important, a stronger sales team pays more attention to the customers themselves. They know how essential customer satisfaction is for the future of your company. When you teach your team to focus on the customers-their needs, wants, and concerns-instead of just the numbers, you’ll have an empathetic, compassionate, stronger sales team that will do wonders for the reputation and future of your business.

Celebrate!

Celebrating the big-and small-wins at your company can go a long way to boosting morale and motivating your sales force to work harder to reach your business goals. A sales rep who is constantly under pressure and receiving little rewards for his hard work can get burnt out and stop caring.

There you have it-how to build a stronger sales team.