WARNING. Don’t continue reading if your feelings get hurt easily. We are going to touch on some things in this post that might offend some people. You have been warned.
A Little Background First
Just this morning we had a company where the managers loved SPOTIO but were having trouble getting buy-in from part of their team. Some of the sales reps loved using SPOTIO and others didn’t want anything to do with it.
The managers of the company didn’t want to become a paying customer because they felt they would be wasting money since some of their sales reps wouldn’t use it.
Right when I hear this, my Spidey Senses go CRAZZZYYYY because I know exactly what this means and it has proven true time and time again.
What Does This Mean?
I have talked with hundreds and hundreds of sales organizations around the world, done consulting and in-person training with dozens and talked with reps, managers and owners about all the issues they face. Oh yeah, and have hired and trained quite a few reps myself so I speak from experience here.
And more recently I faced this exact same situation TWICE when training new SPOTIO customers in person. Managers loved it as well as some sales reps and others weren’t having it.
So here we go.
Top 3 Reasons Sales Reps Won’t Use a Sales Tracking Tool
1. They are old school and don’t understand how to use technology
2. They feel you are trying to micromanage them
3. They really aren’t working
#1 and #2 are relatively easy to overcome with training and explaining the benefits the rep will personally experience (which can be life changing and show you how to become the top salesperson ). More on that below.
#3 is my favorite. I LOVE this one.
Here’s why…
At almost every company that I have either spoken with or been to that had this split in attitude it was the TOP SALES PEOPLE THAT LOVED SPOTIO.
What’s more… of the individual sales reps that pay for SPOTIO on their own many of them are the top sales people in their office or company. At least that is what they tell me.
Top sales people are organized, methodical and create habits that put them in a position to win every single day. Tracking what they do is a natural fit for them. They want to know exactly what they have done and where they have been because they are constantly trying to get better.
VERY IMPORTANT
Does this mean that anybody on your team that doesn’t want to use a sales tracking software tool like SPOTIO is an underachiever or doesn’t have potential?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Top sales reps come in all shapes, sizes and dispositions but if a rep has a high negative association with tracking what they are doing on a day to day basis then you will want to do some extra digging to determine what is really going on.
Do they not see the benefit or not want you to see a lack of effort?
Don’t Blame the Reps for Not Buying In, Blame Yourself
Managers and sales reps have their own reasons for tracking each door knocked.
Managers want to know which territories are being worked, when, be able to hold their team accountable for results and get the most out of each person on the team.
Reps want to increase their sales by working smarter and not harder.
Good news is everybody can win but is has to be a WIN – WIN for everybody. But ultimately, if you as the manager and owner are going to introduce a new tool or process you need to create an atmosphere that will get everybody on board and excited.
Getting Buy-In From The Team
If you are a manager trying to get buy-in from your team then here are some suggestions…
Make it a requirement in order to work for you.
It’s as simple as that. In order to work for our company, you are going to track every attempt and the result.
Provide extensive training on how to use the technology.
For many of our larger teams, we put on a training screen share on how to use SPOTIO and we record the training and give it to the managers so they can email it out or have it on hand for reference later.
Don’t expect every rep to be able to pick up their phone and jump right in. Show them the basics to start with then you can get into some of the advanced stuff later.
Explain in detail how it benefits them.
Reworking Territories
The largest increase in your sales as a door to door sales company will come when you can quickly and easily go back and work territories and increase your neighborhood penetration and use social proof to build rapport with customers. You need to teach this to your sales reps and they will love you for it. Make it part of your culture.
If you don’t track how many times you have been to that door and what the result was I can almost promise you that the area hasn’t been worked properly.
Following-up On Leads
If your company encourages following up on leads then the ONLY way that will happen consistently is if the leads are recorded in real-time as they are received. If you have a qualified lead call or go by at least 3 times before giving up.
Studies show time and time again that the majority of sales people give up after one attempt and the closing percentage is significantly higher in those that make more than one follow-up attempt on every lead.
Know Where to Improve
Nobody is perfect and we all can use these 3 door-to-door sales metrics to make an improvement. By tracking each stage of your sales process, the rep will know where they need to focus more effort on training.
Wrapping it All Up
Just forcing something down somebodies throat rarely works out well for all parties but by showing your sales reps that they will personally benefit from using a sales tracking tool then you are much more likely to get buy-in across the board.
Make it a point to really use the data to get better and everybody will love the increase in sales and commissions.
And if that doesn’t work then just shove it down their throat.
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SPOTIO is the #1 field sales engagement and performance management software that will increase revenue, maximize profitability, and boost sales productivity.
Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.
