What are the best ways to turn around a struggling sales team?

Before doing anything else...figure out what's actually going wrong! There is no point jumping in with numerous changes unless you have actually assessed the situation. Find out the problems, reverse engineer the solution from there!

If your sales team are struggling it will likely be due to one of the following; - people aren’t suited to the role - incorrect KPIs More than 80% of companies hire the wrong type of salesperson. They look for someone with great personality and who have plenty of sales experience. What they don’t look for (and test for) in the interview process is: - do they follow a sales process - how do they follow up - demonstrated ability to play long game - ability to ask open questions - objection handling - CRM usage - handing price negotiations If the KPIs are incorrect, it will drive poor performance. KPIs should be focussed on measuring sales activity, rather than sales results.

For me, to start, it’s important to be the lowest heart rate in the room. People understand when they are struggling. Then go back to the basics. Simplify the sales strategy. Look at your top customers - what do they like? Why did/do they buy from you? Many times I’ve called top customers to ask them why they buy, what they like/don’t like, etc. If we’ve had previous success, we can get back to it. Input from our customers can help remind us where our strengths are.

It is imperative to listen to the team, and pay close attention to what the team states is not working. Typically, sales managers prefer to keep it positive rather than to keep it real… if you want a team to turn the ship around… they have to trust that you hear them, understand them, and are wanting to help them; incrementally if need be. Adding the expressed concerns as a matrix and analyzing gaps, perceptions, market demands, and resource is fundamental. Be sure to also ask them “what is going right?” and add them into your analysis.

- Figure out your KPIs. - Create a dashboard for all to see that centers around these KPIs. - Discuss said dashboard at your weekly sales meetings. I like to ask 1. What do you all see that you’re really proud of? 2. What as a team should we all be focused on for the next 7 days to really move the needle. - Have weekly 1to1s a with your team. 1. Talk life. 2. Ask them what they need to be working on. Help guide them to that answer. 3. Ask them if they can do that “thing” for you that they just came up with. 4. Then ask them what’s one thing you can do for them. - Inspect what you expect. - Have fun! - Celebrate the wins. - Learn from the failures. - Do it all with an attitude of getting 1% better each day.

The emotional wellbeing of the sales team is the key to Success. we talk about metrics and figures and quotas. But when it comes to sales success, there’s really one factor that dwarfs all the rest: emotion.

Coaching and feedback needs to be an actual process. Having a consistent approach that utilizes 1-1's, small groups, large groups and role-plays is valuable – however to make them most impactful we should also add in “Actionable Items” that we follow-up on and use to connect our training sessions together. These items should be based on the coaching conversation and mutually agreed upon by both the manager and the sales staff/person. Depending on the situation, those actionable items should be checked on in between sessions where we can provide additional support if needed, or celebrate their progress if they are on track. In the following session we can review the results together to provide consistent improvement and growth over time.

Once you have assessed the sales team and delved into the data to know what needs to change, you have to determine if the sales leader is equipped to provide the feedback and coaching needed.

Feedback & coaching should be done on regular basis not before the annual increment which usually most the company do now a days Let the employee know the Basic KPI for which u have hired him and with the help of data point track on daily or weekly basis After which u can provide the feedback on 1 to 1 basis or you can conduct a training session for the same with the help of learning & development Team. The same KPI should be added in Manager KRA for annual increment

Move beyond generic feedback—craft tailored feedback loops. Pinpoint individual strengths and areas for growth. Personalized insights fuel motivation and set the stage for targeted improvement.

It surprises me that how many companies and sales managers do not know the difference between product training and sales training. Too often when things are going wrong, they jump straight to provide more product training thinking it would improve sales effectiveness. I have heard the groans from the sales team. Sales training is not about products. It involves a lot more than just features and benefits or a sales pitch. Sales leaders need to understand what to train to ensure it is impactful. As a side note, sometimes failures come from the actual sales operation model. So do not simply jump to conclusion that the team needs any training.

Consider training that is functional, continual, and fundamental. Options include competitive analysis of your top competitors whereas the sales team learns how to strategically maneuver around or through client analysis (never badmouth your competitors). Training on story telling is imperative with your sales team to help turn the ship around. Lastly, invest in formal training for strategic selling, and ensure that they framework is up to date with the current selling landscape.

Development isn't a one-time event but a perpetual journey. Encourage seeking feedback, learning from missteps, and sharing best practices.

Step three in reviving a struggling sales team is training and development. Training updates knowledge and skills, while development fosters professional and personal growth. Use formal courses, workshops, webinars, and mentors for this. Encourage feedback, learning from mistakes, and sharing best practices within the team.

Training and developing your team is essential to turning around a struggling sales team. A well-trained and developed sales team is more likely to be motivated, engaged, and successful. However, before embarking on expensive and time consuming sales or product training courses, it is important to gauge the interest of the sales team. Is this really what they need to be successful? There are a number of benefits to training and developing your sales team, including: * Increased sales performance. * Improved customer satisfaction. * Reduced turnover. * Increased employee morale.

HOW TO AVOID THE PIP! The biggest mistake when dealing with a struggling team is being SEDUCED BY POTENTIAL."I know they can do it. I'll give them a little more time." What's missing is EVIDENCE OF CHANGE. Talk track: "What I want for you is to achieve the success you want. I'm committed to supporting you, however, what's more important is your commitment to your success. Let's look at your commitments, establish activities, results & work on a plan to improve your performance. After 4 weeks, you’ll determine what's best for you. Is this turnaround process something you are willing to commit to?” BENEFITS: *Introduce this as a POSITIVE solution vs a PIP. *Have the Person Self-Select. They're always at CHOICE to honor their commitments.

Step four in reviving a struggling sales team involves empowering and engaging your team. Empowerment grants autonomy, authority, and resources, while engagement fosters a sense of value and commitment. Involve your team in goal-setting, planning, and decision-making, delegate tasks, provide support and guidance, and create a collaborative and positive work environment.

Encourage a culture of continuous improvement within the team. Foster a mindset that embraces learning from both successes and failures. Implement regular feedback loops where team members can share insights on what's working and needs adjustment. Recognize and celebrate individual and collective efforts to boost morale and motivation. Consider introducing incentives or recognition programs tied to performance metrics, creating a sense of healthy competition and camaraderie.

Engajar o time de vendas é fundamental para que se sintam envolvidos no processo, que fazem parte da organização fazem parte das conquistas da empresa. Engajar não é somente brindes e presentes, é fazer com que o colaborador tenha voz, participe da construção, se sinta valorizado no dia-a-dia.

Delegating tasks and responsibilities is also key, as it allows team members to showcase their abilities and develop their skills. Providing support and guidance demonstrates your commitment to their growth, and a collaborative and positive work environment fosters a sense of belonging and motivation. This approach can transform a struggling sales team into a high-performing one, where every member is invested in achieving the company's goals. Keep up the great work! 👏 #SalesSuccess #TeamEmpowerment #Leadership

Understanding performance starts with having shared definitions of what "performing" is. What is a lead? What is a qualified lead? What is a successful discovery call? What is a profitable deal? The practice of simply creating these shared definitions and subsequent goals can illuminate where problems exist in your sales organization.

Once you identify what the best KPIs are, get the team agreement and and make them the focus on one on one conversations. Additionally this is a perfect time to discuss the progress on their personal goals.

Monitoring and measuring your team's performance is essential to turning around a struggling sales team. Without tracking your team's progress and identifying areas for improvement, it is impossible to make meaningful changes. The caveat of this is to ensure to measure the right thing by selecting the correct KPIs that are meaningful and customer centric. There are a number of ways to monitor and measure your team's performance, including: * Use sales metrics. * Use visual dashboards. * Use automated and simple reports. * Use surveys.

Step five for reviving a struggling sales team involves monitoring and measuring performance. Monitoring tracks activities and identifies issues, while measuring evaluates results and compares them to goals. Use sales metrics, dashboards, reports, and surveys for this, and adjust goals and strategies based on performance and feedback.

Monitoring involves tracking activities, behaviors, and outcomes to swiftly identify and address potential issues. Measurement is about quantitatively assessing results, impacts, and their alignment with set goals and expectations. Utilizing sales metrics, comprehensive dashboards, detailed reports, and feedback surveys is vital in this process. Regularly review these insights and be ready to adjust goals, strategies, and actions in response to the team’s performance and feedback. This not only helps in maintaining a clear focus on objectives but also in implementing adaptive strategies for continuous improvement and success.

Communication is everything, especially when there are challenges. Having consistent informal conversations with each team member will help them feel supported and encouraged. Ask them regularly: how are you feeling, what are you working on, how can I best support you? This support will strengthen their resilience and improve their ability to succeed in challenging times.

Foster a culture of open dialogue and teamwork to revitalise sales performance. Actively listen and value each team member's input. Allow them to input and own part (be part) of the turnaround. I’ve run workshops with my team to get them to find the solutions together. By empowering the team, they will rally behind the changes and you are much more likely to succeed.

Provide 'no bullsh*t' communication where you can communicate with each other without getting emotion involved. Back it up with facts and examples. Align on goals, acknowledge different points of view, and hold each other accountable to next steps.

Clear Communication is the important Parameter which can help you sustain any situation Morning Huddle everyday is the best way to set the tone of team.Be clear with ur team in terms of organisation need and set the positive approach everyday. Being Transparent is what individual want from there Manager.If u can have clear & transparent communication it will be easy for u to retain good talent which will gradually show some great result in ur journey

Empathy is often an overlooked attribute of a good sales leader. I believe that's the case because not many people, whoever they are, are born with innate empathetic skills. Empathy is NOT a weakness... it's a strength and can provide a pathway to build trusting relationships with your team. First, I will never ask my team to do anything I wouldn't do myself. I believe my teams are bolstered by watching me "in the trenches" right alongside them. Second, I don't assume my team members know how to do everything I'm asking them to do. I've become very good at certain key sales processes. So when I ask my team to perform a task, I will show them how I would like it to be done.

One of the biggest errors I see is we identify a number of issues impacting performance and we try to "fix" all of them simultaneously. It's important to understand the single highest leverage change--focus on this first. Often, addressing that causes a number of others to go away. Alternatively, when you focus on that--address it, then move to the next, then the next. What we've found is time to results is much faster doing this than asking people to address too many things simultaneously.

Whenever I faced this as a Sales Director I would go back to the basics. 1. Make better prospecting calls 2. Focus on our core verticals. 3. Evaluate which market segment were buying what we sold 4. Brush up on our presentations 5. Re-look at how we are handling objections. 6. Have weekly/monthly sales contest As the sales leader, I would increase my field time with my reps to help them.

ALIGNMENT & BALANCING are two things that need to be done to turn around a struggling sales team. Of course, it includes finding the root cause, coaching, engaging and empowering the sales team. Alignment needs to be done between: 1. Company goals - Team goals - Individual Goals 2. Team Leader and the Sales Team. In struggling times, the Sales Manager has to lead from front 3. Marketing effort & Communication and sales effort 4. Sales team background and Product or service that they are selling More than 20 years ago, in India, a sales person with a salary of Rs.6000+ was asked to sell Parker Pens in the price range of Rs.1200 to Rs.7500. They failed miserably as they could not relate to it. Check out if the ALIGNMENT is missing!!!!

Here are my key points to turn around a struggling sales team: 1- Identify the root cause of the problem. Is it a lack of training, motivation, or resources? Are the sales goals unrealistic? Are leads not qualified? Once you understand the problem, you can start to develop a solution. 2- Set clear and achievable goals. Make sure your sales team knows what they need to do to be successful. Break down larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps. 3- Provide the right training and resources. Make sure your sales team has the skills and tools they need to succeed. Offer ongoing training and development opportunities. 4- Create a culture of accountability. Set clear expectations and hold your sales team accountable for their results.