5 years ago
December 10, 2019

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

Your sales team is struggling. They are not closing deals at the same pace they once did. They are missing sales targets and revenue is down. Your team is in…

Rhys Metler

Your sales team is struggling. They are not closing deals at the same pace they once did. They are missing sales targets and revenue is down. Your team is in a sales slump.

No one wants to see a drop in sales, but they happen. They are part of the sales process. There will be times when sales exceed expectations. There will be times when sales are below what you forecasted. An unexpected or prolonged drop in sales can be scary. You need to do something about it. One of the first steps hiring managers should take is to assess your sales team to get to the root cause of the issues.

In this post, Toronto sales recruiters will outline some of the most effective ways to get your sales team back on track after experiencing a drop in sales performance.

Should You Fire Underperforming Sales Reps?

Removing salespeople from your team can be a kneejerk reaction. It should be treated as more of a last case scenario than the first move you make if your team is slumping.

“It’s simply hard to know when to pull the trigger on removing underperforming team members when it could be that the staff just needs a little guidance, encouragement, or training to get back on track. A little professional nudge in the right direction is a more economical choice over the time-consuming and expensive process of hiring a replacement sales representative. Many sales professionals would rather give their struggling salespeople a chance to improve and bring their results up to company standards,” says Tim Donnelly from inc.com.

1. Take a Step Back – Reassess Sales Targets

Often there is a need to take a step back and reassess the goals that have been set for your sales team. Have you been pushing them too hard? Did you set sales goals too high? Did something happen in the marketplace to affect buyers? Asking these types of questions can help you dig into some potential reasons for the slump and identify potential solutions.

2. Lead by Example

Blaming your sales team for a drop in performance will not be well received. Top sales managers understand that you need to lead by example. You need to accept your share of the blame. You’re a team. Work with them and show them ways to get performance back on track. Work together to find issues with the process and create new solutions. Lead by example.

3. Focus on the Sale Process, Not the Results

It’s easy to get caught up with meeting sales quotas and reaching specific targets. However, when your team is more focused on the goals, they can lose sight of the importance of the process. This could cause your team to skip steps and take actions that could help them short term or right now, but have a negative impact on their performance long term. Get back to focusing on the smaller details and the results will follow.

4. Get Input From the Team

Your salespeople can provide you with invaluable insights into what is going wrong. They are in the trenches day in and day out. They have their finger on the pulse of what is connecting and what is not. Perhaps there is something specific about your sales process or script that is affecting sales. Speak with your team to get some insights into potential issues and solutions.

5. One-on-One Coaching

Speak with your sales reps one-on-one to get insights into what is personally affecting their performance. Ask them about what isn’t working. Is there something preventing them from performing to a higher standard? Ask them about what is working and get suggestions for things that can be done to improve their performance and the team’s performance overall.

6. Are Your Salespeople Motivated?

Motivation is a huge success factor. If your sales team has lost its motivation, it could be the main reason for the drop in sales. How are you motivating your sales reps? Are you offering the right incentives to get them to achieve their sales quota? Remember, not everyone is motivated by the same things. Get to know your reps so you can understand their personal sources of motivation and tap into that.

7. Inject Some New Life Into the Sales Team

Hiring a new rep or two could help your sales team break out of their slump. Sometimes, your team is too small or overworked. Adding a new member or two can help your team better manage the workload. It can also help to spur some new friendly competition within the sales team. Hiring a top performer can be a great way to get things back on track.

Toronto sales headhunters encourage salespeople to consider hiring top talent to get their sales team out of a slump

But don’t rush your hiring decision. Hiring the wrong person could have the opposite impact. They could negatively affect sales and hurt morale – all things that could prolong your team’s sales slump.

More Sales Strategies and Advice From Toronto Sales Headhunters

Get the most out of your sales strategy. Check out these insightful blogs that are full of tips and tricks from our expert Toronto sales recruiters:

8 of the Most Common Sales Mistakes to Avoid

7 Innovative Tactics Sales Pros Can Learn From the Marketing Department

Confidence Is Key in Sales. 4 Ways to Boost Your Confidence and Sell

How to Own Your Negotiation Skills to Close More Deals

5 of the Worst Selling Tips to Ignore

3 Unconventional but Totally Successful Ways to Sell

 


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.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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