Marketing & PR Firms - How to Create a Team Selling Environment
Saturday, November 23, 2013
In some businesses, the task of selling falls upon individual employees, while in others employees work in tandem to push the company's products. Some businesses feel this latter method of selling is more effective than individual selling as it promotes cooperation and allows employees to feel more supported as they sell. If you feel that this method of selling may be appropriate for your workplace, begin by creating an environment conducive to team selling.
1
Gauge your staff's feelings about team selling. If your staff has long worked under an individual sales model, the shift to team selling may seem scary. Before pushing them to make the transition immediately, see how they feel about the topic. Create a questionnaire consisting of queries such as, "Do you enjoy working in a group?" or, "If you were going to work cooperatively, how would you like to be divided as a work force?" By gathering this information from your employees, you can more effectively make the team-selling transition without ruffling feathers.
2
Train your staff in team selling. Don't change things overnight without giving your staff time to adjust. Instead, prepare a series of training sessions on the topic of team selling. Bring in professionals who specialize in the subject, or prepare your own training materials that include tips for team selling as well as methods of team sales success.
3
Develop a compensation structure. Many sales employees, used to the individual commission, are initially hesitant about team selling as they worry that it will impact their income. To ensure that this doesn't stop them from buying into your team sales plan, develop a fair pay structure in which all members of the team are rewarded for each sale.
4
Pair your sellers effectively. Exercise extreme caution when pairing employees, as poorly matched pairs can prove detrimental to your efforts. Review the employee questionnaires for ideas about how the employees would like to be paired to ensure that you don't put two employees who don't mesh well into the same selling group.
5
Respond to staff concerns about team selling. As you make the transition to this type of selling, make it clear to your staff that you are ready and willing to listen to their concerns. Establish an open-door policy and ask employees to come to you immediately should they experience any problems. This helps ensure that small problems don't escalate.
Tags:
Marketing, Marketing amp; PR Firms
1
Gauge your staff's feelings about team selling. If your staff has long worked under an individual sales model, the shift to team selling may seem scary. Before pushing them to make the transition immediately, see how they feel about the topic. Create a questionnaire consisting of queries such as, "Do you enjoy working in a group?" or, "If you were going to work cooperatively, how would you like to be divided as a work force?" By gathering this information from your employees, you can more effectively make the team-selling transition without ruffling feathers.
2
Train your staff in team selling. Don't change things overnight without giving your staff time to adjust. Instead, prepare a series of training sessions on the topic of team selling. Bring in professionals who specialize in the subject, or prepare your own training materials that include tips for team selling as well as methods of team sales success.
3
Develop a compensation structure. Many sales employees, used to the individual commission, are initially hesitant about team selling as they worry that it will impact their income. To ensure that this doesn't stop them from buying into your team sales plan, develop a fair pay structure in which all members of the team are rewarded for each sale.
4
Pair your sellers effectively. Exercise extreme caution when pairing employees, as poorly matched pairs can prove detrimental to your efforts. Review the employee questionnaires for ideas about how the employees would like to be paired to ensure that you don't put two employees who don't mesh well into the same selling group.
5
Respond to staff concerns about team selling. As you make the transition to this type of selling, make it clear to your staff that you are ready and willing to listen to their concerns. Establish an open-door policy and ask employees to come to you immediately should they experience any problems. This helps ensure that small problems don't escalate.
