Tips for building a better-performing sales team

Sales teams are the backbone of most businesses, and real estate is no exception. In the article, “The 6 Essential Elements of a High-Performing Sales Team” on hubspot.com, author Bob Marsh offered some advice to sales leaders on how to make a modern sales team better and more effective.

Modern sales reps — Because modern buyers expect a salesperson to teach them something, sales reps must take on the role of an educator. Hiring the right sales reps isn’t enough. They also must be empowered with the coaching and resources they need to educate their customers, according to Marsh.
Collaborative office environment —Sales leaders who rely only on motivational tools such as sales leaderboards and contests are missing an important element: collaboration. This can be done in different ways, Marsh wrote, such as giving top performers a platform at team meetings to talk about and teach what works, initiating a team-based component into commission structures and offering team incentives.
A path for career growth —“Modern sales teams hire future leaders and provide them a clear trajectory and the resources for career advancement,” Marsh wrote. He suggested establishing weekly one-on-one meetings with sales reps and with team leaders making sure these coaching sessions are based on data.
Actionable key performance indicators — It is important to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that are measurable and actionable, ones that indicate what will happen in the future based on current activities. “Leading indicators include metrics like conversations, meetings, and demos. But KPIs designed to help organizations be successful are unique to every company and every role,” Marsh wrote.
A sales stack — It is essential to have a sales stack, which is “the collection of tools and technology companies use to drive new business,” including a customer relationship management system (such as salesforce.com or marketing360.com) and sales acceleration tools, Marsh said. He also noted that an organization must have a “defined, strong sales process in place” before it can start adding layers of technology.
Modern sales leaders — If the person in charge of the sales team is not up to date on modern techniques, the whole system could fail. According to Marsh, these techniques include being engaged in thought leadership, coaching reps, and helping them on calls when needed and “living and dying by your data.” He also said sales leaders should remember their primary focus is not on selling, but on managing and supporting their teams.