Training can be a powerful intervention that can drive success if your remote team’s work outcomes are far below their potential. Here’s how you can tell that it’s time for training.
Targets are constantly being missed
Constantly falling short of targets and pushing back on deadlines points to a problem that needs intervention. Some of the roadblocks standing in the way of hitting targets include:
- Poor time management.
- Lack of performance management.
- Not being on the same page about objectives and targets.
- Feeling overwhelmed and overburdened.
- Lack of support.
- Not having the tools or data required to perform.
- Not knowing the systems or who to go to for help.
Sales team training can help your team overcome these hurdles and improve performance. With training, your remote reps can learn essential skills such as:
- Communicating effectively.
- Learning to persuade.
- Collaborative selling.
- How to build resilience.
- Problem-solving.
- Leveraging teammates and colleagues.
Armed with a strong skillset, reps can become more empowered to perform their tasks well and exceed targets.
Communication is proving to be a challenge
Effective communication is essential for teams to work together smoothly, especially when working remotely. If everyone is on the same page, there is clarity on what to do so people can collaborate better and share ideas.
If communication breaks down, it creates a cause for concern. Instead of getting work done, team members waste time digging for information when they are not clear about where to find what they need. Long-winding threads on work platforms and emails can bury important information.
This ineffective communication can result in confusion, conflict, and inefficiency. Ultimately employee morale may take a nosedive leading to disengagement.
Remote sales team training can help your employees learn how to create more effective flows of communication between themselves. Establishing clear communication also helps reps know when and how to get hold of managers if they need to. This environment of transparency is beneficial to breeding trust among the team and improving the chances of success.
Your team is failing to leverage technology
Remote working teams rely on technology to make any headway in their roles. So, it pays to train your team on how to effectively use technology to boost performance. Here are some of the areas where your team would benefit from training.
Communicating with customers
Selling remotely can take away some of the personal touches that make salespeople shine. For instance, you can’t use vivid body language and gestures to captivate your customers. The only personal presence comes down to an image on a screen.
As a result, it’s critical for reps to learn how to communicate effectively and personably in the virtual realm to better engage with and hold the attention of potential customers.
Making strong presentations
Slides do a lot of the heavy lifting on virtual sales calls. So, it’s important for reps to learn how to pack a punch with their presentations. It pays to use tools that create eye-catching presentations.
Also, reps can benefit from learning how to tell powerful stories. While data can support facts, it’s often boring and unmemorable. Stanford Graduate School studies found that people are 22 times more likely to recall facts if they are told as a story instead of data.
Building an online presence.
Social selling plays a key role for remote sellers. It’s critical for reps to learn how to build rapport and create trust-based relationships online. This can be a mammoth task given the impersonal nature of online communication. So, training can teach salespeople how to:
- develop conversational skills on an online platform with no face-to-face interaction.
- engage with customers without being pushy.
- build trust without physical meetings.
Your team is struggling with burnout
Maintaining the delicate balance between work and home life is often more difficult when people work from home. If your team is unable to strike the right balance, it could lead to burnout.
Some of the signs to watch out for include:
- Team members not taking time off.
- Workdays spilling into evenings and weekends.
- Reps being quick to frustration.
- People withdrawing from conversations.
- Reps not contributing during meetings.
- Aloof or overly brief responses to emails.
Training can help your reps to handle the root causes of challenges that lead to burnout so that the problems can be nipped in the bud.
For instance, sales team training helps reps learn how to handle rejection. When a door slams in their face, your salespeople can master how to take it in their stride and not carry the disappointment into their personal lives. Reps can also learn how to overcome objections and sway customers to buy so they don’t experience the weight of rejection nearly as much.
Reps can also learn how to improve efficiency so they can find the time to recharge.
There is a disconnect with the company culture
Remote salespeople have a higher chance of experiencing a disconnect with your company’s culture and values. Research by Gallup found that remote employees are 7% more likely to struggle to figure out what their connection to the mission of the company is. This can cause reps to pull in different directions and confuse your customers in the process.
So, training can help reinforce your values and steer your reps toward fulfilling your company’s vision. Here are some ideas to include in your virtual training programs:
- Interactive activities. Games, quizzes, and team-bonding activities can help increase a sense of culture among your remote team.
- Awards ceremonies. Virtual awards ceremonies at the end of training reward hard work. Employees can also feel valued, which inspires them to follow your company culture.
All in all, these are the tell-tale signs that you should consider investing in training sooner rather than later to boost your remote team’s performance.
