How to manage Remote Sales Teams:10 Key Strategies

In today’s digital world, more and more companies are embracing remote work. This trend has reached the sales world too, with many businesses now building and managing remote sales teams aka virtual sales teams. According to a recent survey, 43% of sales teams now work remotely at least half the time. This shift brings both challenges and opportunities.

Remote sales teams can help businesses reach wider markets and cut costs. A study found that companies with remote sales teams saw a 10% increase in sales on average. However, managing a remote sales team spread across different locations isn’t always easy. It requires new strategies and tools to keep everyone connected and productive.

Whether you’re just starting to build a remote sales team or looking to improve your existing one, this blog post will help. We’ll explore 10 practical ways to manage a successful remote sales team. These tips will help you boost productivity, maintain team spirit, and drive sales growth, no matter where your team members are located.

Let’s dive in and discover how to make your remote sales team thrive in this new era of work!

What is Virtual Sales Team 

A virtual sales team is a group of sales professionals who work remotely to generate and close deals. They leverage technology to connect with potential and existing customers, instead of relying on traditional face-to-face interactions.

Virtual sales teams can include people from different cities, countries, or even continents. They communicate through video calls, chat apps, emails, and other digital tools. This setup allows companies to hire talented sales people regardless of where they live, and it gives team members the flexibility to work from wherever they’re most comfortable. Virtual sales teams can work on various tasks, from finding new customers to closing deals, all without ever meeting face-to-face.

What are the Benefits of Remote Selling for Business or Sales Reps? 

Remote selling offers numerous advantages for both businesses and sales professionals.

Here are some key benefits:   

For Businesses:

Cost Reduction: Eliminates expenses related to office space, travel, and commuting.  On average, businesses save about $11,000 per year for each remote employee.

Expanded Talent Pool: Ability to hire sales representatives from anywhere, accessing a wider range of skills and experience.

Increased Productivity: Remote sellers often report higher productivity due to fewer distractions and flexible work hours.   

“35% of remote employees feel more productive when working fully remote.”

Source: forbes

Scalability: Quickly adjust sales team size based on business needs without the overhead of physical space.   

Global Reach: Access to customers in different time zones and geographic locations.   

For Sales Professionals:

Improved Work-Life Balance: Flexible work hours and elimination of commute time lead to better personal well-being. 80% of remote workers report improved work-life balance.

Higher Job Satisfaction: Increased autonomy and control over the work environment often boost morale.

Cost Savings: Reduced expenses on commuting, work attire, and meals.

Increased Focus: Eliminating office distractions can lead to better concentration and performance.   

Geographic Flexibility: Ability to work from anywhere with a reliable internet connection.  

 By leveraging technology and effective management strategies, remote selling can be a highly successful approach for businesses and sales teams.

How to Manage Your Remote Sales Team 10 Strategies

1. Equip Your Team with the Right Tools

One of the first steps in managing a remote sales team is to make sure your team has the right tools to succeed. This means providing them with reliable software and platforms that enable them to work effectively from anywhere. Essential tools include a Cloud CRM system for managing customer relationships, communication tools like Slack for quick messages, or Zoom for video calls, and project management software that help keep tasks on track.

By ensuring that your team is well-equipped, you give them the power to stay connected, organized, and productive, no matter where they are working from. With the right tools, your team can easily collaborate, access important information, and stay on top of their sales activities.

Pro Tip: Use SalesTown CRM to keep your remote sales team connected and organized. lets you see how active your team is throughout the day. It shows things like how many calls they’ve made or emails they’ve sent. This can help you understand how your team is doing without having to ask them all the time. It’s a nice way to keep an eye on things without making your team feel like you’re watching over their shoulder.

2. Automate Routine Tasks for Maximum Productivity

Automation is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance the productivity of your remote sales team. By automating repetitive tasks like data entry, follow-up emails, and scheduling meetings, you free up your team’s time to focus on what truly matters—selling and building strong relationships with clients.

When your team doesn’t have to worry about mundane tasks, they can dedicate more energy to closing deals and nurturing customer connections. This not only improves efficiency but also leads to better results overall. Automation helps your team work smarter, not harder, making it easier to achieve their sales targets.

Pro Tip: Leverage the automation features in SalesTown CRM to streamline your team’s workflow. SalesTown CRM allows you to set up automated follow-up emails, schedule tasks, and manage routine activities without manual input, giving your team more time to concentrate on closing deals and driving sales.

3. Clearly Define Success Metrics

To keep your remote sales team on track, it’s crucial to set clear success metrics. These are the performance benchmarks that guide your team, ensuring everyone knows what is expected of them. Whether it’s the number of sales calls made, meetings scheduled, or deals closed, having specific goals helps your team stay focused and aligned.

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When team members understand their targets, they can prioritize their efforts and manage their time more effectively. Clear metrics also make it easier to monitor progress, provide feedback, and make necessary adjustments to improve performance. This level of clarity ensures that everyone is working toward the same objectives, even when they’re not in the same physical location.

Pro Tip: With SalesTown CRM, you can easily establish goals, monitor each team member’s progress, and generate reports that highlight areas for improvement. This helps keep everyone accountable and motivated to achieve their targets.

4. Foster a Culture of Open Communication

Talking to each other is super important when your team works from home. It’s like keeping everyone in the loop, even when they’re not in the same room.

Encourage your team to share what’s going on with their work often. This could be good news, like making a big sale, or tough stuff, like having trouble with a customer. When people share both the good and the bad, it helps everyone feel more connected.

You can set up regular team meetings where everyone gets a chance to talk. This could be a quick daily check-in or a longer weekly meeting. These meetings are like a virtual hangout where everyone can catch up. It’s also good to have one-on-one chats with each team member. This gives them a chance to talk about things they might not want to say in front of everyone.

Remember, it’s not just about work talk. Encourage your team to chat about other stuff too, like what they did on the weekend or a funny thing that happened to them. This helps people feel more like a team, even when they’re far apart. When everyone feels comfortable talking openly, it helps build trust. People are more likely to ask for help when they need it, or offer help to others. This creates a team spirit where everyone supports each other.

By keeping the lines of communication open, you’re creating a work culture that feels more like a family. Even though everyone’s working from different places, they still feel like they’re part of something bigger.

5. Implement a Consistent Virtual Sales Process

Having a clear plan for how to sell is really important when your team is working from home. It’s like having a map that everyone can follow, no matter where they are.

Start by making a step-by-step guide for how to sell. This guide should be easy to understand and use. It might look something like this:

• Find potential customers
• Learn about their needs
• Reach out to them
• Show how your product can help
• Answer their questions
• Close the sale
• Follow up after the sale

Make sure each step is clear and simple. This way, everyone on your team knows exactly what to do, even if they’re new or having a tough day.

Your sales process should be flexible too. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, so your team should know how to handle different situations. For example, what to do if a customer says no at first, or how to deal with a tricky question.

When everyone follows the same process, it’s easier to see how things are going. You can spot where people might be struggling and offer help. It also makes it easier to train new team members because you have a clear plan to show them.

Remember, the goal is to make selling feel the same whether your team is in an office or at home. A good process helps everyone stay on track and work together, even when they’re apart.

Pro Tip: Use the SalesTown’s Sales Pipeline feature to manage your sales process. The pipeline tool allows you to create a clear, visual representation of each stage in your sales process, helping your remote team stay organized and follow the steps consistently. This way, everyone knows exactly where they are in the process and what actions to take next.

6. Regularly Monitor and Discuss Performance

It’s important to keep a close eye on your team’s performance to ensure everyone is on track. Regularly check key sales metrics to see how your team is doing and where improvements might be needed. 

Decide what’s important to measure. This could be things like:

• How many call they make
• How many new customers they talk to
• How many deals they close
• How many sales each person makes

This helps you see who’s doing great and who might need some help.Share what you find with your team regularly. You could have a weekly meeting where you talk about how things are going. SalesTown CRM provides detailed reports & analytics that show individual and team performance. This helps you easily share insights with your team and keep everyone motivated by showing their progress and areas where they can improve.

7. Offer Ongoing Training for Remote Sales Success

To help your remote sales team thrive, invest in regular training that’s tailored for remote work. This training should focus on the unique skills and strategies needed for working from a distance. By providing continuous learning opportunities, you ensure your team stays updated on the best practices and tools for remote sales.

This ongoing education helps your team tackle the specific challenges of remote work, like managing their time well, using digital tools effectively, and staying motivated without in-person support. Regular training keeps your team sharp and prepared to adapt to any changes in the remote sales landscape.

8. Hold Regular One-on-One Check-Ins

Make it a point to have regular one-on-one meetings with each member of your remote sales team. These personal check-ins are an opportunity to talk about their progress, tackle any concerns they might have, and provide helpful guidance.

Even though your team is working remotely, these individual meetings help you stay connected with each person. It’s a chance to offer support, celebrate their successes, and address any issues they might be facing. Regular check-ins ensure that everyone feels valued and understands their role, helping maintain a strong team dynamic.

9. Cultivate Accountability within the Team

Encourage your team to share their progress with each other. This could be in team meetings or in a group chat. When people share their successes and challenges, it helps everyone feel more connected and responsible.

If someone’s having trouble meeting their goals, work with them to figure out why and how to fix it. This shows that you’re there to support them, not just to check up on them. Celebrate when people meet their goals. This could be a shout-out in a team meeting or a small reward. It helps everyone see that their hard work is noticed and appreciated.

Remember, the aim is to help everyone feel in charge of their own success. When people feel responsible for their work, they often do better and feel happier about what they’re doing. By building this kind of team spirit, you’re helping everyone do their best work, even when they’re not in the same place. It’s about creating a team where everyone wants to do well, not just because you’re watching, but because they care about their work and their teammates.

10. Celebrate Achievements, Big and Small

It’s really important to cheer for your team when they do good things, even when you’re not all in the same office. This is like giving high-fives, but over the computer.

When someone on your team does something great, make sure everyone knows about it. This could be closing a big sale,getting a new customer,hitting their weekly or monthly goal, solving a tricky problem. You don’t have to wait for huge wins. Even small good things are worth celebrating. Maybe someone got a customer to call back after trying for a long time. That’s worth cheering about too!

There are lots of fun ways to celebrate online:

• Send a fun message in the team chat
• Give a shout-out during a video meeting
• Send a funny GIF or emoji
• Maybe even mail a small prize to their home

When you celebrate these wins, it makes everyone feel good. It shows that you notice when people work hard. This can make your team feel happier about their work and want to do even better.

Celebrating together also helps your team feel like a real team, even if they’re working from different places. It’s like having a virtual party that reminds everyone they’re part of something bigger.

When people feel good about what they’re doing, they often do even better work. Plus, it makes the job more fun for everyone! So, keep an eye out for things to celebrate. Big or small, every win is a chance to bring your team together and keep everyone feeling positive about their work.

Wrap Up

Managing a remote sales team doesn’t have to be hard. With these 10 tips, you can help your team do great work, even when they’re not in the same office. The most important thing is to keep your team feeling connected and excited about their work. When everyone knows what to do and feels supported, they can sell better and make customers happy.

To make all this easier, using SalesTown Sales CRM. It’s a helpful tool that can do a lot for your remote sales team:

• Keep all your customer information in one place
• See how your team is doing with easy-to-read reports
• Help your team follow the sales process step-by-step
• Make routine tasks happen automatically
• Let your team chat and share information easily

With SalesTown CRM, you can manage your remote sales team more smoothly and help them succeed. Book a free👉 Demo.

Happy Selling!