In the wake of a global pandemic, the world of work has completely changed. The days of being chained to a desk for eight hours of the working day (and sometimes more) are arguably a thing of the past, as employees and managers have learned to find a more flexible working routine. 

But what has this meant for the average sales team? 

Historically, sales operations required more in-person interactions, both customer-facing, and internal. What’s more, keeping abreast of all the moving parts of your sales operation is a challenge at the best of times. 

And it seems virtual selling is here to stay, with recent Salesforce survey findings indicating that 46% of sales reps will be selling virtually moving forward. But the rise in remote working presents opportunities as well as challenges for the average sales team. In fact, there are a number of ways in which managers can optimise productivity, improve teamwork, and effectively collaborate to close more deals as part of a remote sales team. 

Here are some of Toucan’s top tips for reaping the rewards of a remote salesforce:

Trust in your team

When running any remote team, harnessing a culture of trust is imperative. It’s important to allow your team to find their own rhythm and build a working schedule that works for them. Enabling team members to embrace a work schedule around their personal commitments requires managers to believe their staff will stay focused and won’t take advantage of this newfound freedom. Ultimately, life during the pandemic should indicate that teams can be just as effective, if not more productive when granted the trust and given the freedom to find their best work routine. 

Communicate

Arguably, this sweet spot of mutual trust in working relationships comes from knowing your team better. That means communicating little and often, setting expectations, and allowing time to strengthen the bond of your team. Try to find a balance between synchronous communication (communication that happens in real-time such as phone calls and video calls) and asynchronous communication (via instant messaging, email, and even voice notes). Be sure to hold more 1-2-1 catch-ups with your team members than you would in an office environment, checking how well they’re adjusting, opening the floor for feedback, honesty and ultimately nurturing a more open, if virtual, working relationship. 

Invest in the right tech

Before embracing a fully functioning, fully remote team, you’ll need to make sure you have the right tools in place to keep everyone connected, focused and aligned. With tools such as a reliable cloud-based CRM, sales analytics and mobile sales tools all in one unified platform, you’ll save your team members time, empower them to make better decisions and keep them focused on better quality, customer-facing relationships.  

Review your working hours 

Now is as good a time as any to question the status quo when it comes to working hours. Do your customers contact you from a number of different locations and time zones? Would certain members of the team prefer an early shift, to fit around family commitments while some like to work later into the evening? 

Not only could offering a more flexible shift rota improve the work-life balance of your team, but you could also be providing a better service to customers and prospects by covering different time zones across the globe. That means you could be opening the opportunity to tap into different markets, making your brand more accessible simply by offering more flexible working hours for your sales team.  

Keep everyone aligned 

As we mentioned, communication is key when overseeing a remote salesforce. But it’s especially important to make sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. Checking in regularly and keeping the entire team updated in terms of KPIs and key objectives in a virtual workplace is a lot easier with the right cloud-based software in place. 

Toucan’s mobile sales solutions are designed for remote sales teams. Toucan’s sales enablement software includes features that allow sales execs to log in, remind themselves of KPIs and objectives, prepare for customer meetings, update notes on the move, and process orders all on the move. Book a demo today to see how our comprehensive solutions could unlock a more agile, virtual era of sales operations for your team.