Remote work has become the new normal for many sales operations professionals due to the pandemic. But how do you maintain your efficiency and effectiveness while working from home? Here are some tips to help you keep your productivity high as a sales operations professional working remotely.
One of the challenges of working remotely is finding a comfortable and distraction-free place to work. You need a dedicated workspace that allows you to focus on your tasks, access your tools and data, and communicate with your team and stakeholders. Ideally, your workspace should have a good internet connection, a reliable phone or headset, a comfortable chair and desk, and enough lighting and ventilation. You should also keep your workspace organized and clutter-free to avoid wasting time and energy.
The key word in the sentence, You’re a Sales Operations professional working remotely, is Professional. Professionals require minimal guidance or micro-managing. It doesn't mean you don't ask for guidance or help. It means you understand what is expected of you, and you do your best to live up to that. That's what a Professional does; Onsite or remotely.
Another challenge of working remotely is managing your time and energy. You need a routine that helps you balance your work and personal life, and avoid burnout. You should set a regular schedule for your work hours, breaks, and meetings, and communicate it to your team and manager. You should also follow the same routine every day, and avoid working too late or too early. Having a routine will help you create a rhythm and a structure for your work, and make you more productive and accountable.
As a sales operations professional, you need to use the right tools and processes to perform your tasks, such as data analysis, reporting, forecasting, pipeline management, and sales enablement. You should use cloud-based platforms and applications that allow you to access, update, and share your data and documents securely and easily. You should also use collaboration and communication tools that enable you to interact with your team and stakeholders, such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management software. You should also follow the best practices and standards for your tools and processes, and document them clearly and consistently.
Communication is key for any sales operations professional, especially when working remotely. You need to communicate effectively and frequently with your team and stakeholders, such as sales managers, reps, executives, and customers. You should use the appropriate communication channels and methods for different purposes and situations, such as email, phone, chat, or video. You should also communicate clearly and concisely, and avoid jargon and ambiguity. You should also communicate proactively and respectfully, and provide feedback and support to your team and stakeholders.
Leverage async narrative type documents (google docs, confluence, etc) that enable to provide deep, contextual insights while also allowing for collaboration on those docs. That, and video tools like Loom or Vidyard. The ability to communicate async but also leverage context and analysis will increase your effectiveness on top of just real-time tools like calls, zoom, or slack where narratives may not fit in.
Working remotely can also be an opportunity for you to keep learning and improving your skills and knowledge as a sales operations professional. You should take advantage of the online resources and courses that are available to you, such as webinars, podcasts, blogs, and e-books. You should also seek feedback and guidance from your manager, peers, mentors, and coaches, and apply it to your work. You should also set goals and track your progress and achievements, and celebrate your wins and learn from your mistakes.
Learning to write in narrative format is critical in remote environments. Push yourself to become an even better writer to drive thoughts forward where the physical proximity usually helps in in-person settings.
Demand the same level of communication from your teammates and lead by example. Oftentimes, the team regresses to the lowest common denominator (a CEO who refuses to write docs, CFO who just prefers slack huddles, etc) Push the team to communicate in writing with the same level of depth and clarity as they do when talking. It makes the remote communication so much clearer and productive in multi-stakeholder settings.