Companies must effectively manage geographically scattered sales teams by selecting the right team players. Preference must be given to team members who are self-motivated and can work autonomously of their own accord instead of personnel who need constant supervision to complete the task at hand. The team members must be able to take independent, immediate according to the situation to keep an existing client or gain a new one. An essential requirement for team members is to have excellent communication skills. This requires complete familiarity with current technologies such as the Internet, Skype, or webcams that are being used by all companies.
This is important because there might not be face-to-face contact, and without appropriate communication skills meeting sales targets could be difficult. The sales team should be “achievers” and should have no hesitation in being assessed with “key performance indicators”.
Honesty must be an integral part of their character because it is not possible to keep constant watch over sales teams scattered in different parts of the globe. Their feedback, problems, and suggestions must be true and accurate so that MIS could assess and address all issues accordingly. Previously before the introduction of video conferencing, intranets, and email – teams, sales teams, and the manager had to be physically present in the area for better performance.
Effectively Managing Sales Teams
Now sales teams work regularly with contemporaries who are based in different geographic locations in different time zones. For providing the service which has contributed significantly to the success of the company, companies must define their team purpose when working with a geographically scattered team. This in effect means that all team members should work towards common company-defined objectives and concentrate on what is best for the organization.
The company must create and utilize a “roadmap” for the team members to follow for achieving company objectives. The roadmap would assign and define tasks for each member, identify crucial assets and implement a framework that the team member must adhere to faithfully. Team members must try to work according to the “SMART” agenda Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound to meet company targets and objectives.
The created roadmap helps if the team has problems in meeting company’s set objectives because working across several time zones in different parts of the world could create stress making team members lose their concentration on objectives set by MIS.
A roadmap ensures that the entire team is on the right track according to company goals and objectives. Teams can be made up of different structures. Some team members may be comfortable working with three or more team members in the same office, while other members like to work individually from home or in individual offices. Managers might meet some team members on a daily basis while meeting others periodically and never get to meet some members.
