How to Keep Remote Sales Reps Connected with the Core Team

by Yakshit Chaudhary Marketing Executive

Introduction

Communication between employees or among a team is very important, especially when these guys operate out of separate locations. To fulfil the objectives of the business, every sales representative works hard and independently. But when it comes to the overall business operations, coordination plays a critical role. Although the hard work done by an individual sales representative determines the success of an organization, collective efforts of all members carry greater weight.

A remote sale is a game of communication and coordination among members of the remote team. It is the collective responsibility of the members whether the business is enjoying profits or suffering losses. When there is a well-established connection between all the members of the team, the physical location of the employees does not matter or matters little.

Is There any Benefit of Remote Teams?

Yes! There are many merits of a remote team but the only condition is that they should be well-coordinated and communication should be strong. Following are some key benefits of having a remote team:

- Cost-effective

- Access to wider range of talented workers

- Entry in overseas market

- 24/7 availability of work

How to Keep Representatives of Remote Sales Connected with the Core Team?

In order to flourish your business in this competitive world, the core team needs to harness the full capabilities of technology. With the advancement of technology, being in touch with one another has become easier. The core team should provide tools and equipment to the remote sale reps to establish and maintain better communication.

Following are the ways to set up a good connection between the core team and sales reps:

· Applications

Many teamwork applications are available to establish an effective communication channel among the team members and sales representatives. This the option is more effective than email and provides a host of features which can make members feel like they are sitting next to each other. Basically, there are two categories of applications which facilitate communication among team members.

The first one is a messenger like application in which the participants can chat and share documents as well as discuss various important topics. This category of application works great for team members who are not synchronized. Such is the case because the participant can simply upload a file, recordings or anything related to the project. Members who are synchronized with the timings can also use such applications to participate in real-time.

Another category of these applications is focused on project management. These applications are designed in such a manner that every detail of the project can be shared. It allows the participants to view detailed information on the various aspects of tasks allotted to team members.

· CRM Software

It is a database which shares the overall history of the customer among the team members. CRM software enables access to all the details and information of the customer about their business with the company. It helps the team members identify the preference of the customer regarding any product, whether there was an issue and how it was solved.

Next, CRM software helps establish a strong connection among the team members; each member has the knowledge of the operations conducted by every other member in relation to the customer. Such transparency provides clarity and avoids the situation where the customer loses interest in doing business with you because he starts thinking that there is a lack of general communication and coordination in the team.

Moreover, such software helps sales reps stay updated about the needs and preferences of the customer, something which improves the chances of successfully selling or re-selling.

· Shared Workspaces

Shared files and folders are also a great option to establish a connection among the team members. With a shared workspace, it is easy to share important files and track records of the business with the members. Updated shared workspaces have a new digital user-friendly interface which had made it simpler for the participants to work together from different locations.

Utilizing a shared workspace, a team member can breeze through the following tasks:

1. Maintain a shared folder for the email, scripts and templates.

2. Guidelines to resolve consumer issues.

3. Collaboration with new user and consumer guidelines.

Apart from these technical methods, there are a few psychological techniques which should be adopted by the team leader in order to promote quality coordination:

· Motivation

Motivation can be a key factor in the remote sales business. It should be the responsibility of the team leader to encourage and motivate the members and representatives from time to time. As all the representatives are working from different location, it becomes necessary to charge up the representatives so that they don’t disassociate themselves.

Sales are always result-driven, so if any representative is providing business to the company then he/she should be encouraged. The team leader can motivate the reps with some incentives or specific benefits for achieving the goals.

This will encourage the rep to stay connected with the core team in order to perform well. It is the moral responsibility of the team leader to recognize the achievements of the representatives in order to bring more transparency.

· Work Friendly Environment

It is very important for the sales department to make available a friendly environment for the reps. The location of the rep is not important here. What matters is whether the communication channel is friendly or not. There should be proper greeting, friendly reminders like birthdays and other non-work-related elements in the communication channel. This will make the reps more comfortable and friendly with the core team.

Such work culture will make the rep more interested in work and he/she will put in genuine efforts while performing duties. A work-friendly the environment is a sign of mutual respect and understanding, something which provides a positive platform for to rep to engage with the core team.

Finally

A sale is a crucial differentiator. When all other performance indicators between two companies are equal, it is the organization with better sales that wins the day.

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