5 Ways to Encourage Your Remote Sales Teams to Collaborate

One of the many things we have learned in the past few years is that some salespeople thrive working in a remote environment. However, we have also seen many remote sales teams need help finding ways to improve collaboration, teamwork, and comradery while separately working from home.

Ensuring that every single remote employee is set up for success can be a challenge. So, guaranteeing that each member of your remote team is operating to the best of their ability—both individually and as a single unit—can feel like a tall order. Even in a physical office, managers often struggle to ensure consistent team performance while building a healthy work culture, prioritizing individual trust and respect.

In this post, we will share five key strategies and methods to help promote employee engagement, wellness, and happiness in a remote environment, focusing on team building and collaboration first and foremost.

Make Sure That the Right People are in the Right Positions

Fostering a strong collaborative environment begins and ends with selecting the right people for the correct roles. Watch for team members who may not completely gel with their current colleagues. Now is the time to consider transferring them to a new position with responsibilities better suited to their strengths.

When on the hunt for new hires, communicate the importance of collaboration and teamwork with prospective employees. Each member of your sales team, old and new, should understand the importance of working as a single unit and accurately representing your firm while utilizing a consistent sales process.

Conduct regular check-ins

Consider scheduling a weekly standing call with your sales team individually and as a group. These check-ins provide a regular opportunity to review your team’s most recent sales calls, opening the door for helpful feedback and advice for those struggling to close.

For new team members who may need to become more familiar with their colleagues, these calls can also be useful for personal introductions, mock sales calls, and team-building exercises.

Lean into their Strengths

Not everyone has the same strengths when it comes to sales calls. And your sales team is probably no exception. Take note of the strengths and shortcomings of each member of your team. If one individual excels in an area in which another member is struggling, pair them up on a review call so they can better learn from one another.

When you can, take advantage of opportunities in which team members can ask for help or guidance from one another in areas they are looking to improve. Additionally, encourage members to discuss common traits and characteristics of your firm’s prospects so they can better learn what works and what does not work in selling to potential clients.

Prioritize Continued Education

Education does not come solely from performance reviews and sharing valuable sales strategies. Look into further resources that would benefit your team and try to create a space in which these materials can be easily shared and discussed.

Whether it be a weekly sales-related book club, regular guest speakers, or meetings with consultants, sales managers should strive to ensure that their team ends each week with a new piece of knowledge that will advance their career and grow their skills as a salesperson.

Enact an Open Window Policy

Each member of your team is likely to improve or grow with direct access to the people directly responsible for their development. An open window policy, even if it is remote, allows your employees access to members of management or their fellow team members whenever they need help or guidance.

This approach can manifest in something as simple as a team-wide Slack channel or a policy that allows impromptu calls over Zoom. If you foresee these tools working for your employees, consider utilizing a shared team calendar that highlights each person’s availability periods. If your employees know who to reach out to and when, you ensure that your sales team will not be lost without a paddle should they feel overwhelmed or directionless at any given time.

Are you looking for further guidance on remote team building and fostering a collaborative culture within your sales team? Or perhaps the time has come for a fresh, objective review of your sales process and overall strategy? Get in touch with our office today to learn more about how Sebastian Lane’s fractional management services have helped organizations like yours generate more revenue with market-tested sales strategies and team-building tools designed to improve performance, productivity, and employee wellness. Call Sebastian Lane Consulting at 443-534-6783 or email us at jesse@sebastianlaneconsulting.com.

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