Your sales team is working remotely. How can you make sure everyone is accountable?

1 Set clear expectations

The first step to making your sales team accountable is to communicate your expectations clearly and consistently. This includes defining your sales targets, metrics, processes, and tools, as well as your feedback and reporting mechanisms. Make sure your salespeople understand what is expected of them, how they will be measured, and how they can access the resources and support they need. Use SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals to guide your salespeople and track their progress.

3 Empower your salespeople

Accountability is not only about holding your salespeople responsible for their results, but also about empowering them to make decisions, solve problems, and learn from their mistakes. Empower your salespeople by giving them some autonomy and flexibility in how they manage their time, tasks, and clients. Provide them with the tools and training they need to perform their job effectively and efficiently. Recognize and reward their achievements and contributions. And most importantly, trust them to do their best and support them when they need help.

4 Build a strong team culture

Accountability is not only an individual responsibility, but also a collective one. You want your sales team to work as a cohesive unit, where they support each other, collaborate, and share best practices. To build a strong team culture, you need to foster a sense of belonging, engagement, and trust among your salespeople. Create opportunities for your sales team to interact and socialize, such as virtual coffee breaks, happy hours, or team-building activities. Celebrate your team's wins and milestones, and acknowledge their efforts and feedback. And most importantly, lead by example and show your sales team that you are accountable for your own actions and results.

5 Use the right tools

Finally, to make your sales team accountable, you need to use the right tools to monitor, measure, and manage their performance. There are many tools available that can help you track your sales activities, data, and outcomes, such as CRM systems, sales dashboards, and analytics software. These tools can help you gain visibility into your sales team's progress, identify trends and patterns, and optimize your sales strategy. They can also help you automate some of your tasks, such as sending reminders, generating reports, and updating records, and save you time and hassle. Choose the tools that suit your needs and budget, and train your sales team on how to use them effectively.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?