Some sales departments look like Darwin’s theory in action, where everyone is focused on a personal result instead of teamwork. Perhaps an individual employee’s quest for career development is playing into the hands of companies, but only to those that set short-term goals. Let’s find out how to create a successful sales team.

 

Reasons to Create a Sales Team

Building a strong sales team is a prerequisite for companies with longer sales cycles. After all, the company’s profit cannot depend on one person`s achievements, because only a team is able to deal with complex sales.

When to Start Building a Sales Team

When a decision has been made, you should plan your steps to building a sales team. It is important to plan business from the very beginning, including a long-term forecast for 5-10 years. Making a business plan, base it on your needs and desires, and not possibilities.

The minimum is what will suit you for the beginning. The maximum is what seems to be an almost unattainable dream in the near future. Usually, the norm is somewhere in the middle between the minimum and maximum. Estimate how many and what goods/services you need to sell per month. When you build a sales team from scratch, think about how many sales reps you need to fulfill these plans, and how much each sales manager can really sell.

Ways to Create Your Sales Team

For some reason, many people think that a high performing sales team is a creative team, so it needs the absolute opposite of structuring, and anarchy is the best environment for sales. Another extreme is when there is a super-seller whose task is to lead a sales team, and the whole structure ends there. Let’s find out about types of sales teams.

Determine the type of team you need

• The centralized sales team model. In this model, one person (or a small “root” team) is the head of most sales efforts and is not responsible for identifying target customers and leads.
• The decentralized model. Here, each sales rep is responsible for generating the entire cycle: from finding new leads to signing a contract. Thanks to CRMs, the sales reps’ task is greatly simplified.

Like most things in life, hiring sales talent is a matter of timing. Especially since the best candidates with strong sales skills are usually snatched up within 10 days.

Unfortunately, you generally need skilled talent more than they need you. Add to that the dramatic pace of business, and it can be very difficult to put the right people in place.

That’s why it’s critical to overcome indecision and move quickly when recruiting sales talent.

In this article, we’re going to help you do just that by showing you 5 ways you can overcome analysis paralysis and get the right talent where and when it’s needed.

Business Moves at the Speed of Light

If you’re in a position to fill a sales role, you’re likely already feeling the pressure, because your revenue targets are built on the assumption that your team is fully staffed.

Essentially, achieving your goals is only possible with a full roster of sales reps who know their territories and are ramped to full productivity. Any empty seats erode your ability to hit those targets.

How are you supposed to juggle filling a role quickly, hiring for the right talent, and completing your day-to-day tasks?

 

Step 1: Make sure your organization is a place where good talent wants to work. Good talent is less likely to join an organization that isn’t set up for success.

Examine what factors are causing open territories in the first place.

• Is it unrealistic sales quotas?
• Is the territory just not capable of achieving that quota? Is compensation too low?
• Is it a lack of leadership?

These factors can quickly derail a sales team.

 

Step 2: Make sure your own high standards aren’t getting in the way of your hiring process.

If you’re delayed in making a decision, start by asking yourself why you’re having trouble finding talent.