SALES MANAGEMENT IN FRANCE HAVE WE CROSSED THE RED LINE: THE 5 KEYS TO CHANGE THE GAME IN 2024

A crucial question for many companies: the management of sales teams.

Salespeople play a vital role in business growth, but effectively managing these teams presents unique challenges that require leaders and managers to shift their paradigm.

Here are 5 simple and effective keys that will give you the advantage in 2024

KEY #1 – Recognition and Personalized Rewards:

Take a personalized approach to performance recognition. Identify each sales rep’s individual strengths and accomplishments and tailor rewards accordingly. Feed yourself on coffee break discussions (passions for sport, music, dance, art, gardening, their family = coaching sessions, tickets for a sporting event, a concert, an exhibition, Parc Astérix …) . Explore non-monetary incentives such as special training adapted to their level, thematic conferences Jean-David LEPINEUX, Alec HENRY, David LAROCHE..., or finally opportunities, flexible benefits (day off, advantageous schedule, etc.);

KEY N°2 - Continuous Professional Development:

Offer ongoing training to enable salespeople to hone their skills. This can include online training, in-person training, workshops, mentoring programs and ideally on-the-job training. Get out of theory and into practice ;

Take a break from the basics and show a commitment to professional development by investing in training that allows salespeople to truly be at the forefront of the latest industry trends. The market evolves, you must train yourself to evolve with it. The important thing is not how much it costs but how much it brings in, break down your limiting barriers;

KEY #3 – Positive Work Environment:

Promote a positive corporate culture by encouraging collaboration, open communication and mutual recognition ( a congratulatory check from your manager is worth a thousand words , attention to the anniversary of the signing of their contract , etc.);

Promote your employer brand (display your background, your values, etc.)

Offer suitable, flexible workspaces and encourage collective emulation ( the school of poorly arranged offices to push salespeople into the field is no longer relevant , today an unsuitable workspace = little work );

KEY #4 – Technology and Productivity Tools:

Monitor and equip salespeople with the latest technologies and productivity tools to simplify their tasks and improve their efficiency (tech, proptech, AI, etc.), the solutions are there to take the lead in your sector ;

Choose carefully and subcontract, delegate their job to each person, surround yourself with the best in the field of recruitment, training, associated services... and concentrate on your real job (if you are a professional in the field of real estate, delegate your inventory with SNEXI - Frédérick COHEN, divide the time of your photo reports by 2 and differentiate yourself with RICOH360 TOURS - Adlane BEDDER, provide work quotes to your clients in 5 minutes during the estimate or return of visit VELSTIMA - Laetitia NOVELLA ..., develop a recommendation and connection solution to anchor yourself in the lives of your customers HUWIN - Samantha DOMINGUES, commerce, catering ... it's the same thing, the solutions are there );

KEY N°5 – Clear and Achievable Objectives:

Establish clear, measurable and achievable objectives ( financial tree structure based on the transformation rates of your sector , they give their salary objectives, you give them the procedure to follow to achieve their objectives). Involve salespeople in the goal-setting process to increase their engagement, from directive to participatory;

Break goals into achievable steps to create opportunities to celebrate intermediate successes ( quick wins ). These will act as performance boosters ( performance of the day, of the week , the best start for newbies, being number 1 on social networks, Google reviews or OPINION SYSTEM , etc.);

In summary, the real lever for motivating a salesperson lies in personalization, continuous development, transparent communication and the creation of a positive work environment. Companies that invest in developing the skills of their salespeople will avoid turnover and reap the benefits of a motivated and efficient team.

Paris, December 9, 2023 -

By Yoan Bastos, President of the international consulting firm Stratège ®