Managing a remote sales team     

Anyone who has ever had a remote sales team to manage will fully understand the complexities and difficulties that come with the role.

How do I create a winning culture?

What way do I communicate without coming across like I am micro-managing?

How do I create a competitive environment without jeopardising overall team performance?

How do I ensure best practice is shared across the team?

The fact is, managing a remote team is difficult. Yes, technology has helped improve things; Video conferencing, email and even the old fashioned telephone make communication much easier than perhaps 20 years ago but are new technologies like Skype a real substitution for good old fashioned hand shakes and face to face dialogue?

In my opinion, the answer is no. Whilst these new tools have certainly made things easier for the remote manager, the fact remains that body language is still a huge indicator as to how an individual is performing and often-subtle day-to-day changes in how people carry themselves can help identify potential underlying performance issues. The art of a good manager is identifying these changes before they manifest themselves in detrimental performance.

That being said, we can’t be everywhere at once and therefore how we communicate will ultimately manifest itself in how good or bad our team performs.

Here are three things I have implemented to help foster a strong team culture whilst being spread across 100’s of miles.

1. Weekly Conference Calls

This may sound basic for a remote team but I have come across many organisations that fail to implement a concise conference call strategy. Before embarking on a conference call strategy, ask yourself this; what is the purpose of the call, what will the frequency be and how long will it last? Remember, time is the most valuable commodity for a sales rep, even more important for managers therefore ensuring that the conference call is relevant and worthwhile for all parties will be key to it’s success.

2. Monthly Meetings

With a distributed team, it is still important for everyone to get together and celebrate success. It’s also a chance for everyone to share best practice. The added benefit for the sales manager is that you will see all your sales reps together and how they interact with each other. As with the conference call, ensure that the meeting is relevant and worthwhile for all parties but also make it an opportunity to relax and further embed your team culture.

3. Field Accompaniments

The dreaded accompaniment for the rep… This should be used as an opportunity to work alongside the rep, observing how they conduct their day but frame it in such a way that you are not there to simply sit back and take notes but you are a willing contributor to the day. If successful, the rep should feel empowered and motivated. Obviously the approach needs to be tailored to where the rep is in their performance.