Four Things That Sales Leaders Need To Review

The marketplace can be impacted by numerous events that place demands on your sales team and affect sales, Covid-19 being one recent example.  Change is the only constant.  To ensure your sales team maintains high-performance levels, you need to foresee change and provide support to help them adapt swiftly.  So, as a Sales Leader, what should you be reviewing regularly?

1. Sales Process – It can be easy to fall into a sense of security when sales teams are reaching their targets. But the landscape is always evolving.  Your competitors are developing and improving, and your clients have new expectations; thus, you must review the journey that your prospects and clients are experiencing.  It makes sense that if your sales process aligns with the prospect’s journey, the rate of success will be higher.

2. Quality of Sales Pipeline – Sales Leaders should be aware of the current stage of the sales pipeline to ensure quality and consistency across the team. Safeguard quality leads by providing a forum for the team to share their activities and pinpoint those that are working.  Don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining a quality pipeline as you need a monthly cycle to help predict and generate sales.  Sales Leaders can get a good handle on quality via team meetings, one-to-one coaching, and comparing monthly reports.

3. Sales Targets – The most common indicators of the success of a sales team are the sales figures. However, performance must also be reviewed regularly.  Sometimes the goalposts need to be moved as certain factors can impact performance such as environment, staff changes, marketing initiatives, and competitors.  Success can also be measured by client retention, sales activity, pipeline, closing rates, and other KPI’s.

4. Coaching Plan – Sales Leaders should have a definitive plan for coaching the team. Coaching needs to be structured so that each member is accommodated and feels supported.  Where many Sales Leaders fall short is thinking that water cooler conversations and sharing experience qualify as coaching.  Coaching is a skill, and its impact resonates across retention, motivation, and performance.  The best Sales Leaders view coaching as a priority to establish and maintain a team of high achievers.

As Sales Leaders looking to guide your team to success in the sales arena, it’s essential to conduct regular reviews to encourage continuous improvement and achievements.