With remote working becoming the new norm, salespeople are facing a new set of challenges. The topmost fears are feelings of loneliness, overworking, and communication with co-workers.
Despite that, the number of remote workers has increased by nearly 90% over the past decade.
There’s no denying that sales are one of the most challenging professions. As a sales manager, you will have less visibility into your team’s progress. Keeping track of every ongoing interaction with prospects and the status of every deal can get difficult.
If you are new to remote work, there are chances that you must be having a hard time adjusting to the new work culture. But it doesn’t have to like that.
This article shares some tips for remote sales reps. Besides, we have also included the best practices for managing remote sales reps.
Best Tips for Remote Sales Reps
1. Set a Schedule
When we start working remotely, we don’t tend to build a routine. This is where all the problems arise. You end up using the whole day and night without any fixed timetable, and it eventually starts taking a toll on you.
You should have a start time in the morning, just like you would in the office. When you are working from home, you are your own boss. Make sure that you even have a consistent finish time.
You can even start using a calendar to keep track of the daily schedule.
2. Have a Dedicated Workspace
Often remote workers complain about finding too many distractions while working from home. This could be solved by creating a designated workspace in your home itself.
Whether that’s a separate room, your kitchen table, or a side corner of your room, having a designated workplace will have you create a boundary between work and home.
It will also ensure that you maintain your focus and learn to detach once the work time is over.
3. Set a Proper Technology
Technology has enabled working remotely in the first place. For instance, you can use a time tracking tool to keep a tab on your working hours. Similarly, project management tools like Asana can help you maintain your schedule and ensure that you complete all your projects before deadlines.
In fact, you can even maintain a proper flow of communication with your other teammates using a video conferencing tool. Tools like Slack allow you to exchange messages instantly without creating a long email chain.
Find out your needs and choose your tools effectively to ensure maximum productivity.
4. Take Small Breaks
When you are working from home, it’s easy to skip a break and work through lunch.
In fact, a Hubspot survey revealed that 45% of remote workers take less than an hour lunch break, and 25% work through lunch. You will definitely feel the burnout.
At home, you don’t have the built-in break that you get at the office. You don’t even have a short 10-min tea/coffee break with your colleague. That’s why it’s essential that you set time aside for your breaks when you create your timetable. You can either go for a walk or do a quick 45-min yoga, as you desire.
Be mindful of how you spend your breaks.
5. Be Social With a Colleague
20% of remote workers reveal that they feel lonely and isolated on a daily basis.
The feeling of isolation can creep in if you don’t have any interaction with your colleagues. But you can still network with them while you are at home. You can either reach out to them on Zoom or schedule virtual coffee sessions.
Such activities will keep you connected with your team members and also keep you refreshed.
6. Be Organized
Remote sales reps are often seen struggling with time management and staying organized. The best way to combat this issue is by setting a calendar and marking all the essential tasks. This will help you stay on track without missing out on any crucial leads.
It can also help to differentiate your tasks between daily organization work and managing your sales process. You can then allot time for specific tasks and stick to them to stay on schedule.
Best Practices to Manage Remote Sales Reps
A remote sales manager goes through the same hardmanship as the remote sales reps. These remote sales tips might help you manage your remote team effectively.
1. Calendar Management
As a remote sales manager, most of your time gets invested in training your other team members. You can’t even overhear agents on sales calls and thus, this makes the whole training process a little more challenging.
To make sure that your day stays divided into training as well as other administrative tasks, you need to learn to manage your calendar.
For instance, you can leverage other tenure agents on the team to mentor the newly hired ones. This will give you more time to focus on other tasks at hand.
But it’s equally crucial that you make yourself available as much as possible.
2. Build Daily Habits Around Sales Activity
One of the most common challenges faced by all sales managers is the lack of time. Days are packed with remote selling meetings, demo schedules, online prospecting, content curation, and more.
In fact, 31% of sales’ time is spent searching for or creating content. To keep productivity in check, the best way is to learn how to restructure the day.
Build the structure of your day by setting priorities based on your goals and micro goals that you need to complete by the end of the day. Make a list of everything you need to do at the start of the day — from checking emails to scheduling meetings, prospecting, and making calls.
3. Do Get to Gather With Teammates
The remote team doesn’t get the opportunity to connect with their teammates. One good solution would be to organize a semi-annual business trip where every remote sales rep can interact with others.
When teams stay connected, it keeps everyone synchronized and aligned with common goals.
4. Develop a Remote-friendly Environment
Building a remote-friendly work culture can help you retain your sales reps.
Create a weekly event where all sales agents get to collaborate with one another. For instance, you can organize a weekly happy hour of video calls where everyone just talks with no specific agenda in mind.
It will help them open up with one another.
Conclusion
Being successful in remote sales activities requires patience. But it also comes with its own set of benefits.
You get a wider reach without spending much time in transit, giving you a perfect work-life balance.
So master the skill of remote selling, and take one step towards your journey to success.
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