Are you struggling to get your sales team to all move in the same direction and focus on the same goals? Do you often have a rogue sales person who “doesn’t play well with the others”? If so, you’re not alone. Most sales managers face a lack of cohesiveness in their sales force at least periodically. However, team selling not only promotes a more clearly defined brand message, but also results in higher sales, which benefits everyone in the sales chain of command. Even your most independent sales people are going to listen when you tell them that you have a way they can make more money.
What is team selling?
Team selling assigns more than one sales person to a particular account. This starts in the prospect phase and can continue on into the sales service phase once the account becomes a client. The beauty of team selling is that it pools the strengths of all the sales members assigned to the prospect, increasing the odds of closing the sale.
Team selling can work in a number of different ways. You can have a team do a presentation for a client, have them work together on all phases of the sales cycle, or assign a particular individual to each stage of the sales cycle. Likely, you’ll employ a combination of these patterns, depending on the prospect and their needs.
How team selling can drive better sales numbers
However, the advantages to team selling go far beyond simply pooling resources. Just a few of these advantages include…
1. Increasing sales. Team selling works. According to a study by Gong Market Research Labs, team selling has been shown to increase the likelihood of closing a deal by 258 percent when compared to individual selling. With team selling, the prospective client can become familiar with not just the sales team, but also the sales support rep, someone from the tech department and/or management. It gives them a fuller view of your company than an individual can offer.
2. Better resources for handling large accounts. A small company selling to a large corporation can be at a disadvantage when they send a single sales person to pitch a product or service to a room full of executives. With team selling, there are more sales people to help handle questions, special requests and other details of dealing with a larger company. Your company will also look more substantial when send a team rather than an individual.
3. Quicker answers to client questions. By having multiple people assigned to a single prospect, especially if they have expertise in different areas of your organization, you’ll be more likely to quickly answer any questions or concerns that the prospect might have. A quick response can translate into a quicker decision to sign a contract with your company.
How to get the most from your team selling efforts
Team selling may not feel like a natural fit for some of your sales people who have been going it alone for years. Below are a few ways to get the most from the transition from individual to team sales.
1. Offer training as needed. Team selling is more complex and requires better communication and planning. These may not be key skills for some of your sales team. Help them hone their collaboration and communication skills by offering paid training for those who desire it.
2. Encourage your sales team to be open to new ideas. When you work as a team to close an account, your colleagues may have different ideas about how best to approach the prospect. Let your team know it’s okay to try new ideas and let them know you expect them to be open to hearing about them. Sometimes it’s good to be uncomfortable.
3. Make sure that all team members understand the core brand message. While it’s great to entertain new ideas, make sure that your sales people know the core brand message and which parts of the sales pitch are non-negotiable.
4. Get to know your sales people well. Taking the time to get to know your sales people as individuals not only helps to garner trust, but it allows you to know better which people will work well together and which people to assign to particular accounts.
5. Be transparent about department sales results. When your sales people start seeing the positive results of the transition to team sales, they are more likely to be enthusiastic about the process. Make sure to share the weekly and monthly department sales figures with the group.
6. Make use of customer relationship management software. A good CRM system is invaluable to any sales department. However, it’s essential with team selling, so that everyone on the team can see the last contact with a prospective client, when it happened, who talked with them and the result. CRM software allows multiple team members to access the same files and tracks the prospect through all stages of the sales cycle.
To learn more about team selling and how to make it work for you and your organization, contact Lori Gross at EnableU.