This is the third in a four-part series about activity-based selling. Read part one, part two, and then check back in a week to read part four.
Inevitably, there will be days when one sales rep performs too much of one activity and not enough of another – or even your entire team lets a metric fall behind – it’s Murphy’s Law.
But this is where a good sales leader can shine. If you utilize an activity-based selling strategy for your team, then there are four specific ways to course correct.
How to Course-Correct Performance With Activity-Based Selling
1. Monitor metrics data daily.
Live and breathe your sales metrics. Treat them like the pulse of your pipeline – if the rhythm slows, so will revenue. Review metrics at the beginning, middle and end of each day. Ensure that all activity levels stay on (or ahead) of pace to hit quota. This isn’t micromanaging your sales reps; it’s proactively managing them.
Dashboards and reports won’t be enough. You need to track and retrieve metric data in real time. A sales activity management system automates those processes for you. When metrics fall behind, you’ll know immediately.
2. Inspire collaboration with team and peer rankings.
Don’t keep sales metrics to yourself. Motivate sales reps with visibility into how they’re performing individually and as a team. Transparency enables reps to perform corrective actions themselves.
When a rep sees a specific activity one or more of their peers is struggling with, she can share best practices to elevate the team as a whole. Conversely, another rep who’s struggling with a metric might reach out to his peers for advice. Some sales organizations engineer team-based compensation for this very reason.
3. Use contests or incentives to rally the team when needed.
When a metric does fall behind, focus sales rep efforts on it. Host a team meeting to communicate that getting the metric back on pace is a priority.
Run a contest or quick spiff to unite the team around the metric. Offer an inexpensive incentive to the rep who contributes the most. Recognition, alone, can be a great motivator.
4. Run precision coaching sessions with objective data.
You can also use a targeted approach. Identify which reps need help. Dig into the data to see who hasn’t completed enough of their activities.
Address the activity deficit in your weekly one-on-ones with reps. Are they not holding enough discovery meetings? It could be because they aren’t qualifying enough leads.
Distinguish which sales activity the rep is struggling with and coach them around that specific skill. Continue to monitor their performance afterward to ensure the coaching was effective.
Course correction in real time doesn’t just manage sales performance, it ensures you stick to your sales forecasts. These four strategies for activity-based selling will help.
