Tips to Help Remote Sales Teams Be More Successful

Remote sales teams are a lot more common than they used to be, but that doesn’t mean that they have it all figured out. In fact, there are still plenty of ways that sales teams can improve their efforts to deliver a better customer experience and drive growth in a virtual selling environment. 

As more people transition to working remotely full-time, companies need to make sure that their teams have all of the necessary resources for success. That can be more challenging without a collaborative physical office environment, but it’s not impossible. In this article, we’ll take a look at some tips for remote salespeople and their managers that can help you craft a winning remote sales team, no matter what it is that you’re selling.

Tips for management and leadership 

Of course, it’s up to you to take the lead with process improvements in the workplace. That starts by coming up with a dedicated sales process, as well as a method for improving the onboarding and training experience in regard to remote sales. Here are some tips that you can use to get things off on the right foot. 

Set clear expectations 

A major issue with remote work is that there is no discussion of the expectations of the job, beyond the basic hour requirements and job duties. However, your remote team needs leadership and structure. Give them that by setting the expectations and being clear about everything from the start. 

Manage time effectively 

The time involved in managing your remote reps can seem a bit much, but a good calendar and time management techniques can do wonders. When you’re working with a remote team, calendar and time management is essential to success. 

Make time for team activities 

Just because you’re not all in the same office doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get to know one another. You should come up with get-togethers for your sales team that everyone can enjoy. This allows them to connect and collaborate outside of work, which will enhance their communication on the job. 

Build a culture that supports and embraces remote work 

One of the biggest reasons that remote teams struggle is because companies never took the time to re-think and restructure the culture of the organization. Now that people are working remotely, there are some things in your culture that may need to change. Review your mission, values, and culture to ensure that they’re aligned with remote work needs. 

Promote collaboration and communication 

Whether it’s through regular video meetings, a messaging tool where you can share industry memes, or anything else, your team needs to be communicating about work and other things. A communicative team is a connected team and a connected team is much more successful. Use tech tools like Slack, Trello, Zoom, and others to keep people engaged and give them tools to reach out as necessary. 

Training and enablement 

As mentioned, your people are only going to learn what they are taught. Therefore, if your company doesn’t yet have onboarding and training processes in place for remote teams, now is the time to create them. Some companies shifted to remote work during the pandemic and stayed there, but never actually recreated processes and strategies that would allow them to deliver the same experience virtually that they used to in person. 

Your sales reps need regular training and access to resources to help them upskill and become successful. 

Tips for the sales team 

If you’re a remote sales representative looking for ways to improve your skills, you’re not alone. However, you have to make sure that you find the right tips to help you succeed. Managers, you can share these tips with your team to give them the opportunity to set themselves up for success while you’re handling the bigger picture:

• Be respectful of people’s time. Time is valuable, in short supply, and going to be different based on whether you do global business or operate in the U.S. only. In the remote space, reminders and calendars can come in handy for time management. 

• Be respectful of your time. Create and maintain a routine. Working remotely can cause home and work life to bleed together, and some remote sales reps end up overdoing it because they can’t un-blur that line. If you don’t have scheduled hours, create them. Otherwise, burnout will come long before success. 

• Stay organized. The worst thing for remote workers is the loss of structure, in most cases. A messy desk in the office might have been fine, but a messy desk at home could create chaos. Have a dedicated space for all the work things and keep it neat and organized at all times. 

• Communicate. The biggest issue that most remote workers have is the feeling of being isolated and alone. Your entire team is still right there—they’re just on the other side of the Internet instead of the other side of the office. Chat with people about more than work. Reach out and ask for help. Start a sales team after-hours chill session where you can unwind and connect outside of work. 

• Make eye contact on video calls. You don’t get a lot of face time with clients today, so you need to capitalize on the time you do get. Practice making eye contact on your video calls so that you can make people feel more engaged and heard—it may take some trial and error, but it will do wonders for your connections. 

These are just a few tips that can help your remote team be more successful. While there are tons of other job-specific tips, starting with the basics is going to take care of most of the issues that may crop up along the way. 

Improved sales reps mean increased leads

If you’re doing it right, you’re going to have a whole new set of leads coming in. Are you ready to field them? If you aren’t sure, consider partnering with the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai for a 24/7 answering service. Plus, we can help with lead intake and appointment scheduling so your reps can focus on the sales. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai. 

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