Managing a Remote Sales Team Part 1

Working from home, or in the “the field” is becoming more common among companies. Sales managers that previously required their salespeople to be present in an office are now allowing them to work remotely. There are many challenges when it comes to managing a remote sales team, fortunately, sales managers can use technology to help them manage their sales teams more effectively.

With the proliferation of mobile communication and workforces becoming increasingly dispersed, managers need a solution to effectively monitor their team’s sales activity.

Did you know the number of employees who work from outside of the office has increased by 800% in the last five years? According to the latest telecommuting statistics, that number is estimated to be 3.7 million employees or 2.8% of the workforce.

Can Technology Give Sales Managers the Insight They Need to Effectively Manage a Remote Sales Team?

Managers across many industries are looking for a system that can accurately measure rep/customer interactions in a highly-disseminated working environment. This opposed to what sales leaders have traditionally done to get field intelligence through monthly reviews, ad hoc check-ins, and less than accurate CRM data.

Advancements in the Internet and telephony technology now give them the ability to view their team’s phone-based interactions in real-time. This enables them to zero in on any problem areas and ensure their team has the tools they need to be successful from wherever they are making their calls from.

With the ability to track phone conversations, managers can now see the result from each of their reps’ interactions and see how efficient each individual is.

Tracking the calls also gives managers the insight they need to identify and eliminate poor behavior among their reps. By looking at the top performers, they can extract best practices and set benchmarks. This window into phone-based activity allows managers to boost productivity and future revenue potential.

Did you know only 21% of employees strongly agree their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work? This according to a report released by Gallup.

Although the number of telecommuters has increased, with in-depth visibility into their dispersed team’s performance, sales leaders can keep communication lines open and ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.