Do you have ambitious goals with limited time for adjustments? Let’s discuss some quick, straightforward modifications that can have a big impact on moving you closer to achieving your sales objectives. These tips can be applied to all types of teams, from dealership sales teams targeting consumers to industry vendors selling to dealerships.

#1: Make it a point to use your CRM daily! This doesn’t require you to invest additional hours each day; instead by dedicating 20-30 minutes daily you will become much better versed on your hot leads, new leads, most recent interactions, next steps, and overall pipeline health. This will allow you to better manage your time and capitalize on opportunities.

#2: Develop two to three email templates to use in your sales strategy. Investing the time initially to craft well-structured email templates will save you a substantial amount of time in the long run. Additionally, It will increase the likelihood of sending follow up emails, which can considerably improve your chances of closing sales opportunities. Templates that would be helpful include one for post-initial interaction, a follow up to an introductory meeting, and an outreach after a proposal meeting.

#3: Conduct weekly one-on-one pipeline reviews. Allocating 15-30 minutes per week for each salesperson to discuss their top two opportunities they expect to close and two new opportunities they have recently discovered can effectively promote pipeline awareness. Maintaining consistency with this practice can lead to productive strategy discussions and a more proactive sales team that learns to use this time to benefit from your support.

#4: Create an environment of healthy competition! By using a whiteboard or regularly distributed reports, sharing a sales team leaderboard on a weekly basis can really drive motivation across your team. You may be surprised to discover who are your most competitive team members and witness a substantial uptick in their sales achievements from this approach.

#5: Engage your team in frequent role playing. This can be done informally without a rigid structure. Visit a salesperson’s desk to present a situation and ask how they would handle it or do a rapid-fire objection handling exercise at the end of a sales meeting. There are numerous easy ways to incorporate role-playing into your existing process, and the more you practice, the better your sales team will ultimately perform. As a bonus, you’ll also see a rise in their confidence over time!

#6: Establish KPI’s and goals upfront. Your salespeople aren’t likely mind readers, so being transparent and setting clear expectations for them is crucial. Inform them regarding the activities they need to do and required volume that will lead to success to empower them to identify areas where additional training or coaching would be helpful.

#7: Offer support & encouragement! Celebrate their achievements when they hit the goals you’ve set with them and encourage minor victories to promote good habits that will lead to hitting their goals. Also, finding ways to teach reflection and self-awareness will empower them to identify areas where they may need extra support so they can come to you for coaching before it negatively impacts performance.

#8: Shadow & debrief. Seize any opportunity to participate in customer or prospect interactions with your sales team. This helps you understand how and what they are communicating, what actions they are taking, and what is leading to success or challenges. Always follow up with a debrief to discuss their strengths and areas for improvement.

#9: Ask your salespeople about their prospects. If they can’t answer basic questions about pain points, decision making ability, or identified needs, then they likely require coaching on how to properly qualify and gather information.

#10: Align your financial incentives with desired outcomes. Compensate your team for tasks you want them to accomplish and consider offering bonuses that encourage certain activities you know will drive sales.

Incorporating these tips into your existing process will help to accelerate the needle toward success. Even implementing a few of them can make a significant impact on enhancing efficiency, identifying areas of opportunity and inspiring your team. Happy selling!

Connect with Danielle Cumbee on LinkedIn or email her at dcumbee@sautomotive.com today to learn more about how you can elevate the sales team's performance at your dealership.