How to Increase Employee Productivity in Sales

Want a cost-effective way to increase employee productivity? Forget costly software. Here a free strategy guaranteed to increase sales team productivity. 

The Foundation

The first steps I advocate are measuring all outputs and setting clear objective goals.

1. Set clear metric targets for different time intervals.
2. Track individual performance versus targets. 
3. Recognize success.

You cannot materially improve output that you're not measuring. So if productivity is low: 

1. Measure. 
2. Target. 
3. Improve.

Easy. Right, sales leaders? [Crickets]. Alright. Let's get to the in-depth process.

The Problem 

The problem: Most sales teams still run with annual or quarterly targets.  The whole "productivity scale" is set up on very lagging indicators - you won't know if reps are off the mark until way down the road.

Sales reps on teams see these targets way out on the horizon, where they seem far away or difficult to attain. So we procrastinate. We deviate from process. Our productivity lags.  And, of course, we miss targets (or work like crazy EoQ/EoY).

The Solution: Part 1

Analyze your sales process soup-to-nuts and create short term deliverables on daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly bases. Selling B2B? Perfect. Chances are, you follow these 6 steps to close a purchase order.

1. Find leads. 
2. Contact by phone/email. 
3. Qualify potential buyers. 
4. Schedule demos or meetings. 
5. Send quotes. 
6. Close the deal. 

Now, you have the metrics. Take a look at the annual or quarterly quotas and, working backwards, figure out how many leads reps need to make that happen. Figuring this out will take asmall amount of math. But once you work out the initial numbers, you'll be able to optimize over time.

The Solution: Part 2

Set clear, public metric benchmarks on the appropriate time scale for your metrics. You may end up with:

1. Calls: 50 per Day,
2. Conversations: 10 per Day. 
3. Demos: 1 per Day
4. New Leads: 400 per Month. 
5. New Qualified Opportunities: 10 per Month.
6. Deals Closed: 8 per Quarter.

Track team performance versus targets on both an individual and team basis. Provide transparency and clear goal alignment. Most of all, think through these 3 questions:

1. Why are these targets important to our team? 
2. Where do reps stand on real-time metrics? 
3. How does hitting these targets affect their personal outcomes?

From there: Communicate. Iterate. Celebrate.  Coach where reps are off target. Advocate for your team. Recognize success! 

Learn from the process and continue to rinse amd repeat. Doing so will align team output with the organization's targets. Pretty soon, your team will start not only meeting, but exceeding expectations en masse. 

More Resources for Driving Employee Productivity

Long story short: The best ways to enhance sales team productivity are completely free. Meticulously optimize your sales management strategy. And above all, focus on the things that matter most: 

1. Transparency.
2. Culture.
3. Accountability. 

That's your path to sales team productivity success. If you need more help, comment below or send questions to brian.trautschold@ambition.com. For more help, check out these free eBooks:

1. The Sales Performance Index 
2. A Winner's Guide to Running Effective Sales Contests
3. 25 Epic Videos to Inspire Your Sales Force

Sales Management Software that Holds Reps Accountable

Ambition is a sales management platform that syncs every department, data source, and performance metric in your organization on one system.

Ambition enhances clarity around key sales performance metrics. The platform also equips managers with a drag-and-drop interface that empowers them to build powerful contests, reporting, and incentives using live performance data.

Ambition is endorsed by Harvard Business Review, AA-ISP (the Global Inside Sales Organization), and USA Today as a proven solution for managing millennial sales teams. Hear more from business leaders who use Ambition in their organization.

Watch Testimonials:

1. FiveStars: Adam Wall. Sr. Manager of Sales Operations . 
2. Filemaker: Brad Freitag. Vice-President of Worldwide Sales.
3. Outreach: Mark Kosoglow. Vice-President of Sales.
4. Cell Marque: Lauren Hopson. Director of Sales & Marketing.
5. Access America Transport: Ted Alling. Chief Executive Officer.

Watch Product Walkthroughs:

1. ChowNow. Led by Vice-President of Sales, Drew Woodcock.
2. Outreach. Led by Sales Development Manager, Alex Lynn.
3. AMX Logistics. Led by Executive Vice-President ,Jared Moore.

Read Case Studies:

1. Clayton Homes: HBR finds triple-digit growth in 3 sales efficiency metrics. 
2. Coyote Logistics: Monthly revenue per broker grew $525 in 6 months.
3. Peek: Monthly sales activity volume grew 142% in 6 months.
4. Vorsight: Monthly sales conversations grew 300% in 6 months.

Contact us to learn how Ambition can impact your sales organization today.