Tips on Managing Your On-Field Sales Team While Working from Home

Microsoft has decided to let more of its employees work from home - permanently! Another renowned tech firm - Fujitsu based in Japan made a similar announcement where it would allow its staff to work remotely under its ‘Work Life Shift’ programme. All this can be attributed to the novel Coronavirus that caused an unprecedented pandemic that has forced everyone to adapt to a ‘new’ normal - whether it is their daily lives or businesses. 

However, there are still some employees that can’t afford to work remotely for long or permanently. One of such profiles is an on-field sales rep. Sales reps have to be on-field at some point or the other to keep the sales ‘running’. 

So, if you are a sales manager, you must make efforts to keep your on-field team members continuously motivated. Or else, they may feel burnt out.

So, here are a few tips that you can follow to lead your on-field sales team efficiently while working from home and upkeep their efficiency.

Communicate More

The pandemic can be really frustrating and irritating for anyone and everyone. Therefore, even though sales team members don’t require micro-management, you should communicate with them more often. Don’t just give them their daily tasks but ask them how they are coping with the pandemic and whether there are any major issues they are facing. Arrange regular video conferences or calls to keep their spirits high that are different from the usual shop talk. 

You can organize fun sessions, off-business discussions/debates, and one-on-one calls with individual team members to make them feel refreshed and boost their willingness to keep working.

Don’t ‘Over-Formalize’ Work Culture/Don’t Go ‘Too’ Tough

At times, you might be forced to assume that a particular team member is slogging or giving excuses for reduced productivity. While productivity is always the first priority, a ‘little’ considerate approach is also necessary - especially during these tough times when almost the entire world is dealing with so many negative things. That is why, don’t simply make an assumption about any such team member(s). Instead, talk with them, listen to them, and try to figure out any challenges they are really facing while working to achieve the targets. 

This gesture won’t only help them feel that you are by their side whenever needed but also encourage them to convey issues and suggestions more openly without any hesitation. Make them feel that their contribution in these times is valuable and acknowledged.

Guide the Team 

Tough times require tough work. With most of the countries facing an economic slowdown and recovering from that at a low pace, ‘selling’ anything besides essential items isn’t that easy. Even though people have re-started buying non-essential commodities, it would still take pretty long for sales to return to per-COVID levels. 

In such times, guide your sales team to reach out to the potential customers via different channels and increase the touch points. You can also help them with run-time decisions about which regions to cover on a particular day or drop by tracking them via a mapping tool like Dynamics 365 Mapping Mapping Integration. With your consistent perseverance and efforts combined with your team’s hard-work, you can achieve good results. 

Appreciate the ‘Efforts’ in Timely Manner 

No matter how busy you are or how self-driven your team members are; take time to appreciate their efforts - to thank them for their contribution. 

You can walk the extra mile to boost their morale by announcing some bonuses, non-monetary perks like small gifts for the top-performers every month. This way, you won’t only be able to drive them to perform better but also win their respect, trust, and admiration. They’ll get a reason to work hard and understand that their efforts are not going unnoticed and unappreciated. Furthermore, they will feel that they are not just overlooked in the crowd but a valuable part of the organization and are cared for.

Celebrate ‘Wins’ - Small Ones Too

While big wins (big targets achieved) always give an organization a reason to celebrate, there are some small wins that often go un celebrated - especially in normal time. Since these times are not normal times, understand the value of celebrating even small wins with your team members that act like ‘morale-boosters’. 

These celebrations help your team members strengthen their self-confidence and push their limits further to achieve greater. So, keep celebrating the wins. 

In a Nutshell

Remote team management can feel a bit tedious. Nevertheless, with a few remote team management tips mentioned above and above all, staying motivated can help you lead your sales team efficiently and productively. 

To map your territories and track the progress of your sales team from within CRM, you can integrate our Dynamics 365 CRM mapping integration into your store. 

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