Powerhouse Tips to Create a Dynamic Virtual Sales Team

Times have changed. And it only took one pandemic to change the way we all do things. And in these times, the greatest adjustments are being made by businesses who still need to serve their customers and clients—and more importantly the sales team who actually does the legwork for the company’s patrons.

With most business operations being done virtually, even salespeople who usually rely on face-to-face communication and rapport building need to shift to online strategies to continue making a sale.

Because of the changes, companies have to pivot their strategies for sales to keep up with these new challenges. One solution is to create virtual sales teams.

Putting the “virtual” in sales teams

Virtual sales teams can be in-house or a third party. However, at its core, virtual sales teams are just like their more traditional counterparts. They analyze data and prospects, connect and meet with customers, and coordinate with the rest of the company departments like accounting and marketing to achieve their goals.

The only difference between traditional and virtual sales teams is that virtual sales teams don’t need to see each other in the same space. For virtual teams, having the proper tools to meet and collaborate online is what they need to implement your business strategy without fear of contracting or spreading the virus.

For this reason, the proper tools should be in place to make everything work. They should also make your sales teams excited about a new product/service, so they can pass on the excitement to their clients as well.

Creating a virtual powerhouse

To achieve this, there are five things that you need to create the powerhouse virtual sales team that can make a significant impact on your company.

1.Hire the right people

To create the best team, you have to have the best people for the job. This doesn’t mean just hiring people with stellar qualifications. It means hiring people who will fit your current sales setting and your team dynamics. This means that the people you choose need to be self-motivated and perform well even without direct supervision.

Given the challenges that the pandemic poses, they should also possess and exhibit a greater degree of resilience than their peers.

2.Invest in the right tools

Virtual sales teams no longer need an office space to work together in. In exchange, however, your company needs to invest in something else: tools that help your sales team work remotely by giving them access to communication, collaboration, and video conferencing devices. These also include software and hardware to make sure that your teams can get their results faster. A faster more reliable internet bandwidth, as well as sharp audio and video, can make communication between your sales team and their customer clearer and possibly even friendlier. A more human connection in these troubled times just might persuade your customer to consider what your virtual salesperson is offering.

3.Set the right goals and expectations

Working remotely is a challenge to many people since a work-from-home settling sometimes makes people lax as they get comfortable, as opposed to maintaining their professional decorum in physical offices. You have to make the extra effort to keep your team motivated and engaged in reaching their goals. Meeting more than once a week, although in a more casual manner, might give them the boost they need. You can also encourage them to be open about the challenges they face, while always spurring them to find the right solutions..

4.Keep connected

Working virtually often means working in isolation. In this new normal, your employees might feel lost occasionally. Do not allow them to slide away emotionally. Keep connected and let them know they are part of a bigger organization. Social media channels, online town hall meetings, and weekly digital meetings can maintain and even strengthen your relationships. 

Maintain ongoing communication.

Communication is two-way. In as much as your team always receives your advisories and instructions, they must also know that you keep an open virtual door. Ask them to keep you informed of their challenges on the ground level, e.g. how customers feel about buying your product. Do not be afraid to receive honest feedback or unsolicited suggestions. Your virtual team remains at the frontlines and needs all the help that they can get. At the same time, keep them organized and functioning as a team, supporting each other throughout their journeys.

Virtual sales teams are not only an advantage in these times. They have become an indispensable part of your company. One of the largest benefits for remote teams has been the reduction of stress with 24 percent of them reporting that they feel happier and more productive according to pre-COVID statistics. You need to maintain this stress-free status, as the virus does not appear to be going away any time soon. 

More important, you do have to watch your bottomline. The good news is, managed correctly, virtual sales teams can help your company turn in a profit.  According to Stanford Business Graduate School, those who have employed and launched successful remote teams were able to increase retention by 50 percent and productivity by 43 percent.