6 Techniques for Improving Your Team’s Sales Productivity

Closing Deals / June 9, 2017 / Kristie

Want to ramp up sales but feel like it’s always an uphill battle to reach your targets? You’re not alone. Sales productivity is the #1 challenge for almost 65% of B2B organizations, according to research from The Bridge Group.

sales productivity tips

Only 33% of inside sales rep’s time is actively spent selling, according to CSO Insights. With only a third of a sales rep’s time spend actively selling, it’s no wonder reaching sales targets is such a challenge. But what that also means is that there’s an opportunity to increase productivity with the other two thirds of their time.

Use these sales stats and techniques to help your sales team increase productivity so you can reach those targets without adding more people.

sales productivity infographic

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6 Techniques for Improving Your Team’s Sales Productivity 

  1. Batch tasks

When switching between tasks, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to a task.

Minimize time wasted switching between tasks by batching tasks together.

Set aside chunks of time for: emailing, calling, reporting and other

2. Call at the right time

When to call

Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:45 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

When not to call

Mondays from 6 a.m. to noon and Fridays in the afternoon.

Salespeople can make the most out of their time by choosing the ideal time to call clients, and using non-ideal call times to do other work such as research, follow emails, etc.

3. Ask clients for referrals

Customers are 4x more likely to buy when referred by a friend.

A whopping 91% of customers say they’d give referrals. Only 11% of salespeople ask for referrals.

Instead of waiting for sales to come in, your sales team can be more productive by actively contacting your top customers and asking them if they know someone in the market for the services or products you offer.

4. Set reminders for multiple follow ups

80% of sales require 5 follow-up phone calls after the meeting.

44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up.

Most people don’t buy on the first point of contact or even the first or second follow up. By setting reminders of automating a series of follow ups, you’ll have a better chance at converting more leads.

5. Schedule regular meetings to align sales & marketing

When sales and marketing teams are in sync, companies became 67% better at closing deals.

B2B companies’ inability to align sale and marketing teams has cost them upwards of 10% or more of revenue per year.

Avoid two teams doing double the work. Schedule regular meetings between sales & marketing teams to share info & work together to hone in on your messaging, content needed, pitches, etc.

6. Listen to your sales team

40% of employee time is wasted on recurring problems and hassles.

By listening to your sales team’s feedback, you can identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improving your internal processes so they can achieve their sales targets. Schedule regular meetings with your sales team to regularly review internal process and identify gaps.

RESOURCES:

https://www.fastcompany.com/944128/worker-interrupted-cost-task-switching

http://www.ringdna.com/blog/best-time-to-call-b2b-sales-leads

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/under-the-influence-consumer-trust-in-advertising.html

How important are sales referrals for B2B Sales?

http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/sales/sales-techniques-and-negotiations/why-8-of-sales-people-get-80-of-the-sales

https://www.scripted.com/writing-samples/5-statistics-to-motivate-you-to-make-sales-calls

http://blog.marketo.com/2016/04/dynamic-duo-close-more-deals-with-sales-and-marketing-alignment.html

https://www.slideshare.net/sidekick/107-mindblowing-sales-statistics-that-will-help-you-sell-smarter/137-B2B_companies_inability_to_alignsales

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About the author:
Kristie Holden is an online marketing consultant. She helps startups get more leads by clarifying their message and creating a marketing strategy to attract and convert their ideal client. Connect with her on Instagram.

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