Salespeople only spend about 28% of their week on selling activities, with the rest going to non-revenue-generating activities like meetings and updating CRM software. How can they maximize their time? It comes down to boosting sales productivity.
A post on the ActivTrak blog explains that sales productivity measures how much revenue a company generates per salesperson or per sales hour. More than just closing deals quicker, it’s about creating long-term value for both your promo company and your clients. Boosting your sales productivity can lead to many benefits, including improved employee well-being and enhanced client retention.
While each organization may take its own approach to sales productivity, the ActivTrak post shares a few strategies that can optimize sales processes and boost productivity. We share those ideas in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
- Use the right tools. Choosing the right tools depends on your sales team’s needs and your organization’s goals. For example, your team might benefit most from analytics or reporting tools.
- Automate repetitive tasks. The ActivTrak post says that technology can help you automate basic tasks to free up sales reps’ time to pursue new clients. Instead of spending time on data entry, for example, use technology to automate this task so salespeople can focus on tasks that contribute to their goals.
- Streamline inefficient processes. To increase sales productivity, look for ways to improve sales processes. What isn’t working well? Maybe you run into the same bottlenecks or tight timelines. Identify the issues and streamline processes so salespeople can accomplish the tasks that allow them to hit their sales goals.
- Align sales and marketing priorities. According to the ActivTrak post, strategic alignment across your organization is key to accomplishing goals. Does your sales team align with your marketing team? This is key, according to the post, because it leads to a continuous cycle of productivity for both groups.
- Create plenty of training and development opportunities. It’s not enough to train new employees on sales best practices and internal processes, the post says. To improve sales productivity, team members need ongoing opportunities for training and development. Think about how you can give your sales reps a clear roadmap to how they can be more productive and perform better.
Sales productivity isn’t only about the numbers. Rather, it’s about working smarter to maximize your output and get better results. When you’re focused on continued improvement, make sure you measure your sales productivity.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: The ActivTrak blog. ActivTrak produces workforce analytics and productivity software.