Sales management is the keystone of your sales team’s success. It usually starts with the owner as sales manager, but eventually a dedicated leader takes the reins. This position is worth the investment because a well-run sales force will drive long-term company value. However, sales teams are not one-size-fits-all.
Key roles in a strong sales team
A high-performing team includes the following:
- Sales manager: Oversees the sales team, sets targets, monitors performance metrics and ensures alignment with company goals. Pro tip: Their success is based on the ability to not only hire and train new salespeople, but to constantly streamline, automate and improve the sales process. They need to understand marketing and be good integrators of people and processes. Is your company too small for that role? Don’t wait too long to figure this out. Blended roles can hold you back.
- Business developer: Focuses on generating leads through outbound efforts, not waiting for the phone to ring. The owner often fills this role, but it’s a critical role to be staffed in commercial companies. Pro tip: Most commercial firms wait too long to hire this role.
- Sales consultant/estimator: Specializes in meeting clients, conducting site visits, creating proposals and closing deals. Pro tip: In some firms, the estimating role is separated, especially for bid/build.
- Account manager: Maintains relationships with maintenance clients, ensuring satisfaction, enhancements, referrals and securing repeat business. This position can sell new accounts that are direct referrals, especially on the commercial side. Pro tip: As you scale, even this role should specialize.
- Administrative support: Screens incoming leads. Manages CRM updates, proposal documentation and follow-ups, allowing sales reps to focus on selling. Pro tip: This role depends greatly on the larger organization and target market.
- Project management: Not technically a sales team role, but it’s important to consider alongside your sales team. Pro tip: The less project management a salesperson does, the more he or she can focus on sales.
Specialization is key
Out of necessity, smaller companies create mixed roles, which will give you mixed results. Specialization of sales roles is critical to scaling. For example, hunters focus on acquiring new clients, while farmers nurture existing accounts. It is not easy to turn an inbound salesperson into a business developer, no matter how easy it might have been for you as owner.
Determining the right sales team size
How many reps should be on your team? Consider the following:
- It takes three: One or two sales reps is the start of a team, but truly dynamic teams have three or more reps. This creates a positive vibe of friendly competition.
- Sales goals: Define realistic goals based on historical performance, industry benchmarks and market potential. Now, $2 to $3 million is the new $1 million, so it may be time to reassess assumptions.
- Sales cycle length: Longer sales cycles may require fewer sales reps with strong backlog management. Depending on large jobs only has its own risks.
- Lead volume: Consider the mix of inbound versus outbound leads and the number of sales opportunities available. As you increase marketing, you will need to increase the amount of energy needed to screen leads. Either way, an enhanced website to prescreen will help.
- Role definition: Assess how many different tasks you have assigned to your sales reps. Removing nonsales tasks and extra steps — while adding automation — can help them focus and sell more than in previous year.
The foundation matters
A well-managed, well-structured sales team will become the backbone of your growth. If you are looking to refine your sales structure and learn from industry leaders, consider joining our community of 125-plus landscaping companies. Connect with peers, access proven strategies and take your sales performance to the next level. Visit JeffreyScott.biz.
