Some careers, like becoming a doctor or advancing to chief resident, are fairly predictable. There’s a route that must be followed to get from medical student to respected surgeon. But for other careers, like software sales, there are a multitude of ways to get where you want to go.

There’s no standard career path for sales. But here’s an example of how many people interested in the top role achieve their goal.

First, a quick definition:

What is software sales?

People outside the sales industry may think of software sales as a single type of position, but it’s actually an entire category of sales. Think about how pharmaceutical sales reps focus on medications and medical devices and insurance reps sell policies. Those in software sales are totally focused on technology. This is a particularly exciting niche that promises a lot of growth. After all, society’s love for and reliance on technology is only increasing. The market is strong, and that means lots of potential for job opportunities and career growth over time.

Software sales encompasses all the types of sales jobs you’d find in other industries. Many people start by nabbing an entry-level position at a company that specializes in software sales. They gain valuable experience and learn about core products while on the job. In the meantime, they’re proving themselves to management. In time, they’ll have a chance to work their way up the ladder.

First role: Sales Development Representatives (SDR)

Tenure: 1-2 years

Sales Development Representatives* are a type of sales rep completely focused on prospecting. Old-school sales setups saw reps tackling every part of the sales process. That can mean lower overhead thanks to a more slim-lined sales team. But today, many organizations separate their sales staff into specific roles so that everyone has a shortlist of targeted tasks to accomplish.

SDR’s key task is setting meetings for closers. They don’t do the actual closing, though. Instead, SDRs take lead lists from the marketing team, qualify prospects and then pass warm leads onto the Account Executives in charge of closing.

*In some organizations, SDRs are referred to as Business Development Representatives (BDRs) or Market Development Representatives (MDRs).

Second role: Account Executive (AE)

Tenure: 2-5 years

Account Executives, also known as Sales Executives, are the people in charge of the day-to-day interactions with clients. This includes developing and maintaining a relationship with the decision-makers at client organizations. AEs or SEs need to know everything about their clients’ companies, including:

• Their objectives
• Their end products/services
• Their end customer’s pain points
• What they have in development

Part of the Account Executive role is turning those warm leads from SDRs into actual contracts. Execs may present demos, negotiate terms and arrange the actual close. It’s the AE’s job to know what problems could crop up and what it might take to overcome those objections. They also need to know how to field questions about product features, what certain products or packages cost and the availability of upgrades.

Sales Executives often receive compensation packages that include a smaller base salary plus incentive compensation. Some roles may be entirely commission-based, meaning take-home pay depends on the ability to close a deal.

Third role: Sales Manager

Tenure: 3-8 years

Sales Managers are essential team supervisors. They manage a group of salespeople, fostering a positive environment that motivates employees to usher prospects through the sales funnel. Becoming a Sales Manager takes time, but it also takes experience. SMs are expected to know everything about the sales cycle, but they also take care of administrative duties such as:

• Setting sales goals
• Determining individual and group sales quotas
• Analyzing sales data
• Conducting training
• Evaluating and coaching sales rep/Account Execs
• Determining pricing for special promotions and discount programs
• Addressing customer complaints

Sales Managers may also be involved in hiring and firing and divvying up sales territories. It’s the Sales Manager’s job to keep the team on target and make customers happy. They’ll do whatever’s necessary to offer a superior experience and get and/or keep clients on board.

Note: just because you’re a top performing AE doesn’t mean you’ll be a great Sales Manager, nor should it! It’s always acceptable to be a top AE as a permanent career.

Fourth role: Sales Leader

Tenure: To be determined (potentially unlimited)

Sales Leaders (VP of Sales, CRO, Sales Director, etc.) are the visionaries in the world of software or SaaS sales. Sales Leaders are often confused with managers. To help keep the roles straight, think of managers as the people who direct employees. Leaders develop those managers. Sales Leaders create the organization’s sales strategy, crafting a blueprint that will take the team through the quarter or even the entire year.

Sales Leaders are also mentors. They find ways to empower SDRs, Account Executives and even Sales Managers. Excellent Sales Leaders are able to balance working with the executive team and their sales team. They concentrate on working with team members to develop their skills, improve their pitches and so on.

Some Sales Leaders may even join the team during big pushes and pitch clients themselves. It’s not uncommon for supervisors in software sales to join their AEs when approaching a “big fish” customer. It’s a good way to model a well-developed skill set like the “perfect” demo. But it also boosts morale to see the boss right there in the trenches getting their hands dirty (so to speak).

There is some overlap between Sales Managers and Sales Leaders. Some organizations choose to combine the roles for that very reason. But keeping the positions separate means more opportunities for the team to learn and grow. Managers and Leaders with clearly defined job descriptions can provide support and amplify growth in different ways. That’s how you help create a stronger, more agile organization from the top down.

Starting your software sales journey

If you’re looking for a software sales job and aren’t sure where to start, the answer depends on your personal experience and skills. For many people just getting their feet wet in sales, an entry-level job as an SDR is an ideal introduction. They’ll learn about sales cycles (and software sales in particular) while actually taking a hands-on role. Those who have already proven themselves in other sales niches may jump right to an AE or even management position.

Your trajectory depends on you. Still, software sales are booming. Now’s a great time to reach out to recruiters and see how you can excel in a promising field.

Already in sales and looking for a better way to tackle daily tasks like commission tracking? QuotaPath makes it easy for reps to see what they’re earning, turning the concept of quotas into metrics that actually make sense. Sign up for a custom workplace today and start for free.

Every business wants to generate sales. Putting a tally in the win column feels good. But as a sales manager or other organizational leader, you need to look at the overall picture. One win isn’t enough. It’s how your rep handled that prospect and whether there could have been more tallies in that win column. Enter sales effectiveness.

Whether you’re a company breaking into a new market or a well-established organization, there’s always room for improvement. Understanding and training for sales effectiveness is how you amplify your sales process and turn failures into successes.

What is sales effectiveness?

The term “sales effectiveness” refers to how well a salesperson or sales team is completing their goals. If you’re being effective, you’re closing deals. In most circumstances, that means looking at everyone’s sales rate. But sometimes, instead of tracking overall sales, you might monitor revenue, profit, or the sales of a specific product.

It’s important to understand the difference between being efficient and being effective. Efficiency is a measure of how much someone can get done in a certain amount of time. You can be efficient and not be effective. For instance, say your team makes all their sales calls in record time but doesn’t book a single meeting or close a single deal. They were certainly efficient, but the lack of sales makes their efforts sadly ineffective.

To improve sales efficiency, try out some of these ideas that aim for long-term boosts in sales performance and profitability.

1. Group training

Group training views effectiveness as a team issue. This takes the focus off individual successes and failures and allows everyone to learn skills from their peers.

Before setting a training date and putting together your agenda, take stock of your team’s current state. Where are they struggling? Is there a common thread? Perhaps you’re seeing a dip in average contract value. Maybe the demo-to-close ratio is less than desirable. Design your sales training to address pain points. Try to keep each meeting focused on one or two issues, so you can dig deep and inspire change.

Additionally, if you have one member on your team who excels in the training subject, they can serve as the instructor. Some salespeople learn better from their peers than leaders. It also allows a member of the team to act as a sales leader without the management requirements. 

2. One-on-one training

One-on-one training can be nerve-wracking for the salesperson in the hot seat. But a little anxiety is worth it when you have an opportunity to fine-tune someone’s performance. Prepare for the meeting by identifying each person’s weaknesses, and then create training tailored to each individual. Using info gathered during employee evaluations may help.

One-on-one training and group training become more powerful together. Address common issues in a group setting to save time, and then tweak each salesperson’s technique privately. There, you can continually refine their approach and concentrate on what they need most to get to the next level.

3. Call recording sessions

One of the most significant benefits to recording sales calls is the value those recordings have as a training tool. When you’re on a call and in the moment, you’re going on instinct. You’re focused on making the sale, not picking apart your process. Listen back to those calls once the adrenalin dissipates, and you can be more objective. Assess your messaging, see how you handle objections and learn which keywords trigger certain responses (good and bad). Did you go in with a strategy? Were you a strong resource for your prospect or just reading off product data like a machine?

If you’re a sales leader using calls as a part of your sales coaching, check out these tips to ensure a positive outcome:

• Review taped calls before the coaching session, so you know what’s coming. Take notes, marking the timestamp of examples you want to review with your rep. Also note issues that occur on most or all calls, and highlight those as high-priority items to address while in training.
• Don’t focus solely on bad calls. Provide reps with demo calls that show best practices and some that end well (with a sale). You don’t want to tank morale in your quest for improvement. Plus you can learn just as much from a win as you do from a loss. 
• Make the coaching session interactive. Rather than lecturing or immediately taking the lead, ask questions. “What do you think went wrong here?” “Did you know who the decision maker was before you made contact with the customer?” “How could you have done that differently?”
• Prioritize one or two issues each session. If you try to address everything your salesperson did wrong in one 30-minute session, you risk not accomplishing anything. And they’re not going to feel very confident walking out of your office, either.
• Put regular coaching sessions on your schedule. Training works best when it’s ongoing and consistent. That way you can see the results cycle over cycle, month over month.

4. Bring in an outside perspective

Another way to increase sales effectiveness is to look for help outside your organization. Sometimes you get so caught up in your process, you forget there are other ways of selling. As American showman P.T. Barnum once said, “Comfort is the enemy of progress.”

A third-party training expert or consultant can offer a fresh perspective. Shaking up the status quo and seeing your team — and yourself — through new eyes can be a surprisingly invigorating experience. All that insight can power new marketing approaches, inspire training content and help your team provide better service.

5. Examine your tech stack

Technology can be as important as people to your overall sales effectiveness. You need help measuring key metrics, and tools that help track commissions and build and manage comp plans free your team up to do what they do best. These tracking platforms are more efficient with numbers and more accurate, too.

Gauging sales effectiveness and striving for improvement is a major factor in scaling your sales. Getting to the next level requires a lot of introspection and effort. But those willing to make changes will reap the rewards. 

To see how tech can help you achieve impressive growth through sales effectiveness, book a demo with QuotaPath today.

New parents would love a manual that clearly outlines the best way to calm a crying baby. Similarly, every salesperson alive would love to know the best time to cold call. Unfortunately, unless your sales manager has a crystal ball, you’re not going to get a definite answer on when to phone up your prospects. Instead, we’ve gathered expert insight into the question “When is the best time to cold call a prospect?” With answers ranging from the time of day to type of mood, these suggestions are just what you need to get a word in edgewise and hopefully close a deal.

What are the worst times to cold call?

Before we dig into our top cold calling tips, let’s identify when you should probably never ever reach out and pitch a prospect.

(Way) After hours

Some people are so dedicated to success that they’ll work 24/7. Some people succeed because they draw a very well-defined line between work and everything else. Step over that line by calling a prospect into the dinner hour or beyond and you could make a terrible first impression. You may have interrupted family time or simply inserted yourself into their life beyond business. If it’s past 7 PM their time (pay attention to time zones!) then wait until tomorrow.

(Very) Early in the morning

Cold calling early in the morning is risky for the same reasons as cold calling late at night. You’re a customer, not your prospect’s BFF. It’s important to be respectful of their time and boundaries. Violating that unspoken rule on day 1 could result in a fractured relationship before you even have a relationship to speak of. Just like dinnertime cold calls, try to avoid cold calling pre-breakfast; stick to after 8 AM their time.

Weekends

Sure, calling on a Saturday means you won’t be competing with other salespeople for a moment of your prospect’s time. And there’s a reason for that. Even if you get straight to the point and never waver from your very professional script, cold calling on a weekend is unprofessional and risky.

Federal holidays

Cold calling on a federal holiday makes you look out of touch. It doesn’t matter if it’s a strategic move on your part. It still seems like you either didn’t remember it’s a holiday or you just assumed your prospect would be working. Either way, you may not get the result you’re hoping for. Besides, there’s a reason deals tend to stall over the holidays, right?

When you’re following up bad news

Sales is not about products; it’s about people. Before you pick up the phone to call a customer, hit up Google. Take the time to research that customer, their company, and any current campaigns. If their organization has been in the news, you should know why. If that news is in any way negative, reschedule your call. The day after a member of the board passed away or the company stock took a nosedive is not a good day. It’s doubtful that decision makers are going to be eager to pursue a new partnership or spend money. Of course, this depends on what you sell, if you’re in the business of cybersecurity, sometimes the day after a hack is the perfect time to call.

When everybody else is calling

There’s a problem with reaching out to a prospect when experts say it’s the best time to cold call. Everyone else will be cold calling then too. Even the loudest voice won’t be heard if you can’t get a potential customer on the line.

Finding the best time to cold call

Cold calls are never easy, but what if you can find a way to stack the deck in your favor? At least one study indicates that people are more likely to say yes when asked a question in the evening. That’s one scenario to try, but there are many other factors that could help you get the positive response you’re craving.

When the decision makers are in the office — and their assistants aren’t

Executive assistants are the gatekeepers of corporate America. It’s their job to filter the streams of information trying to get to their bosses and ensure only the important bits get through. If you don’t tick all the boxes on that checklist, your call is going to hit a dead-end quickly. But pick up the phone when the gatekeepers are away from their desks and you may have a fighting chance. Try outside the normal 9-5 or even early/later than the extended work hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Less-official holidays

Most businesses are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not as many let their staff take off for Veteran’s Day. Schedule your cold calls for a holiday that’s not widely observed, and you may be able to beat your competition to the punch.

Time blocks that are typically less busy

According to a survey by staffing firm Accountemps, the most productive day of the week is Tuesday. Monday is second-best, and only 10% of people say Friday is their big get-it-done day. That makes sense. With the weekend looming, it’s easy to lose focus Friday afternoon and use that time to catch up on odds and ends. That’s also what makes Friday afternoon the perfect time to cold call. You’re less likely to interrupt meetings or other key tasks, and your prospects could be surprisingly receptive.

Whenever people might be happiest

Here’s another vote for Friday afternoons. People are happy that they’re going home for the weekend, and they might not want to end their week on a negative note. If you know your prospect’s company is having a fun event like a company picnic or mid-week retreat, calling after that could be a smart move, too.

Even all the expert tips in the world can’t give you an exact day and time that’ll ensure cold call success. The fact is that every person is different. Some prospects might answer in the middle of the day. Others might not. Some are early birds who can’t wait to tackle big subjects even though they’ve barely had their first sip of coffee. Other people might give you an automatic no just because you dared to call on a Friday afternoon when all they want to think about is leaving for their long-awaited fishing trip.

Even if you do get a no the first time you call, avoid getting caught up in negativity bias. Humans are hardwired to focus on negative stimuli, which is why we remember uncomfortable situations with greater clarity than positive ones. Buck the trend by brushing off less-than-stellar responses and choosing a new best time to call. After all, it only takes one yes to turn everything around.

QuotaPath and HubSpot are all about metrics and helping you make data driven decisions. It’s critical to understand your sales metrics to be able to accurately manage and grow your revenue. Which is why we partnered to create a free tool for you.

Sales Metrics Calculator

We partnered with HubSpot to build this all-in-one Excel template to calculate the sales performance metrics you should keep an active eye on. Easily calculate 12 key performance indicators, from Average Deal Size to Revenue by Product, to Employee Turnover Rate…and more!

Download it FREE here

How to measure key sales metrics

Average Deal Size

Average Deal Size, or Average Contract Value, is exactly what it sounds like. The average size of your deals. Looking at this alone won’t be very helpful. Tracking Average Deal Size over time, across regions, between reps, or for groups of reps might reveal a sweet spot or opportunity.

To calculate it, pick a time period—month, quarter, or year. Record deals won and revenue generated during that period. Divide the total revenue by the number of deals.

Win Rate

Win Rate is a ratio of Closed/Won and Closed/Lost deals. For continued growth you want to see an increase of deals won over time.

To calculate win rate percentage, take the total number of deals won divided by the total number of deals.

Tracking the reasons for lost deals will give insight into areas of opportunity.

Demo to Close Ratio

Demo:Close Rate forecasts an average of how many demos need to occur in order to win a deal. If you don’t use demos, this might be meetings held, calls, etc. Substitute for your needs!

Again, these metrics are more valuable outside a vacuum. Reducing the number of demos held would be a healthy indicator that you’ve nailed your messaging and are growing your business.

How to set sales quotas and manage commissions

Quota Setting

We know a thing or two about setting quotas, and we like to write about it. For now, we’ll focus on one type of quota set based on revenue. Quotas help set the bar for performance. You want your quota to be attainable enough for 75% of your reps to hit it every period.

To set your quota, you’ll need to know your sales rep’s On-Target Earnings (OTE) and select a multiplier. The standard multiplier for SaaS companies is 5x. Depending on sales cycles, revenue, and company it usually ranges from 2 to 10 times OTE.

Commission Calculator

There’s so much opportunity for insight with solid commission tracking. Commission tracking can give you insights into sales cycles, seasonality, rep and team performance, and so much more. We get really excited about designing compensation plans and commission tracking and would love to chat with you more on that. To track commissions, you’ll want to record the close date, contract amount, and commission earned. These calculations can get complicated quickly, but we take all the work out of commission tracking for you.

Revenue sales metrics to know

Customer Acquisition Cost

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total required spend on sales and marketing to close a deal. CAC decreasing over time is a healthy indicator of a growing business.

Calculate CAC by summing up total sales and marketing spend and dividing it by the number of new contracts. Be sure to include ad spend, salaries, commission, software costs, and other sales and marketing activity expenses.

Customer Lifetime Value

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), or Lifetime Value (LTV), is the average revenue a customer provides before churning.

To calculate it, you’ll need the Average Deal Size — which you will already have if you use the free Sales Metrics Calculator. And the average lifetime of your customer.

This metric is valuable when compared to your Customer Acquisition Costs. You’ll want to ensure you’re making the money you spend on sales and marketing back before a customer churns.

CAC-to-CLV

And here we are! Measuring the correlation between the last two metrics we calculated: Customer Acquisition Cost and Customer Lifetime Value.

To calculate it, you’ll divide CAC by CLV. A 1 or higher means your customer is giving you more revenue over their lifetime than you spent on acquiring them.

Revenue by Product

If you sell more than one product, you’ll want to measure Revenue by product to analyze the popularity and profitability of services.

Your sales team is going to love this metric. It will help sales focus their effort with data around the products moving the needle. Pro-tip: You can also track this in QuotaPath by setting up Paths, or what we call variable components of your team’s comp plan. So many of our customers are able to track revenue over time and optimize their plans accordingly!

Customer Retention Rate

Related to Customer Lifetime Value, Customer Retention Rate measures your churn rate. The lower this number is the healthier your growth will be. Choose a consistent time period to measure and stick to it.

To calculate it, you’ll record how many customers you had at the start of the period,. hHow many customers are at the end of the period,. aAnd, how many new customers were acquired during the period.

Revenue Churn

Revenue churn is how much revenue was lost in a given period. There are two ways to look at this—Net Revenue Churn and Gross Revenue Churn. Net churn factors in upsells, gross churn does not. The lower your churn number the better, and it can be a negative number.

To calculate Gross Revenue Churn, subtract Total New MRR/ARR from your period Ending MRR/ARR and divide by Starting MRR.

To get your Net Revenue Churn number you will start with your period Ending MRR/ARR. Subtract Total New MRR/ARR. Add Total Upsell MRR/ARR. Divide by Starting MRR/ARR.

Employee Turnover Rate

Sales is a high turnover industry. Benchmarking employee turnover rates will not only indicate how happy your employees are, but give you insights to plan for hiring and company growth.

Take the number of employees lost during a time period, divided by the total number of employees.

That’s a lot of metrics to track and manage. Luckily, you don’t need to remember that or any of the formulas if you use the Sales Metrics Calculator spreadsheet template.

And, for a commission tool that motivates reps, learn more about QuotaPath.

One of the first things you learn in business is that when you’re ready to close, you always approach the decision makers. Any other tactic is a waste of time. This is particularly true in sales. After all, pitching to someone who doesn’t have any power is as inefficient as it is ineffective. But how do you know who’s capable of giving you a “yes” that actually holds water?

The truth is that there is rarely just one decision maker at a company. Perhaps more importantly, there’s more than one type of decision maker. Understanding what motivates people in power will help you tailor your approach to your audience. Once that’s done, you’ll know how to save time and speed up the process. Even better, you may finally have the edge you need to send your close rates soaring.

The Champion

Of all the types of decision makers you’ll eventually encounter, The Champion is one of the most enjoyable. That’s because they’re the person who wants to buy a solution every bit as much as you want to sell them one. The Champion is interested in problem-solving. They might be the actual decision maker. Or they could be the person taking the demo and relaying all the important bits to the decision maker later on.

What to look for:

The Champion will go out of their way to help facilitate a deal. They may encourage you to set up additional calls with them or other key players. They’ll likely email you questions about your product or sales process. They’ll also respond to your emails quickly rather than letting time pass to appear “hard to get.” They’re a stakeholder, either literally or because they know that closing a deal will make them look good to their peers and/or bosses. Be on the lookout for someone who’s engaged from the beginning and you’ll likely find The Champion.

The Final Decision Makers

Much as the title suggests, The Final Decision Maker is the person — or people! — who have the authority to sign on the dotted line. They may still have to run your proposal by a business partner or even a board of directors. But still, The Final Decision Maker is the all-powerful entity who can help you hit your sales goal or send you packing. This is not an employee, an assistant, or Bobby from the mailroom. When you meet with The Final Decision Maker, it’s clearly their yay or nay that makes all the difference.

What to look for:

It can be a bit tricky figuring out who The Final Decision Maker truly is. Some organizations use decoys along the way, sending in managers lower on the company ladder to do the majority of the leg work. Sometimes, you can cut to the chase by finding out who has wielded the buying power before. For that, ask around your own sales team (assuming you and the prospect’s company have a history). You may also want to see if anyone from another company in your sales territory has any insight. The Final Decision Maker might also give themselves away by knowing the answers to your process and timeline questions. After all, they’ve been there, done that.

The Signer

The Signer may also be called The Surpriser. Officially, they’re the person responsible for signing off on your contract. But they’re also the person who could come in at the last minute and completely torpedo your deal.

What to look for:

Ideally, you’ll only meet The Signer once everyone is happy with the terms. This should be that moment when everybody in the room is ready to pop a few bottles of bubbly in celebration. You may hear his or her name early on or spot it in the paperwork. They may be CC’d on emails or included in conference calls as a courtesy. Often, they’re kept in the loop so that they’re up to date on important developments. But they likely won’t ask questions or otherwise insert themselves into the conversation unless forced to. Their job is to sign the contract. The rest is just details, and those details should be worked out long before The Signer makes an appearance.

The Legal Decision Maker

In most deals (and especially the big ones), there’s a person in charge of the legal review of your contract. This is The Legal Decision Maker. Their job is to ensure that all items in the contract adhere to the letter of the law, but that’s just the beginning. They may ask questions to clarify certain clauses and ask for language to be adjusted to eliminate ambiguity or mitigate risk. A skilled attorney will also look for boilerplate language that covers potential conflict. This is vital so that all parties know how disagreements will be handled should any arise.

What to look for:

You can spot The Legal Decision Maker by the tell-tale JD that appears after their name. Or you may see a title like General Counsel indicating their status as a top-notch legal eagle.

The Fake Decision Maker

When you’re trying to make a deal, the worst-case scenario is not getting a “no.” It’s getting a “yes” from someone who doesn’t actually have the authority to give it to you. The Fake Decision Maker is a person who claims they can make a decision but can’t. There are several reasons this happens. They may be too wrapped up in their own ego to realize they need permission from higher-ups. They might think they’re in charge of a project and then have their authority stripped away because of someone else’s ego. Or they could just be a liar (harsh, but it does happen).

These fraudsters can ruin a deal and wreck your day. It’s crucial you avoid getting too far into the sales process before realizing you’re dealing with a Fake Decision Maker. Otherwise, you could have to abandon your progress and start from the beginning. That’s after you figure out who you should really be talking to, of course. In some cases, running headfirst into a Fake Decision Maker could derail the deal entirely. To prevent that, get to know what Fake Decision Makers look like. Once you’ve got that down pat, figure out how you can get around them to schedule a meeting with the actual powers that be.

What to look for:

Fake Decision Makers are typically people who lack power, which means they haven’t finished a deal as a decision maker before. They may seem unfamiliar with the buying process and stumble over their words because of that uncertainty. In an effort to cover their tracks, they may be reluctant to let you talk to anyone else in the company. Just remember: If something feels off, something probably is off. Don’t be afraid to retrace your steps, do some company research and make a few phone calls to see who is really in charge. If you’re discrete, you won’t ruffle feathers, and a quiet investigation could save you a lot of time and resources.

Some deals may be as simple as you and a solo decision maker sitting down for a chat. Other deals might involve several stages and more than one type of decision maker. Learning how to pick out a Champion in a crowd can make it easier to close a deal quickly. Learning how to spot a Fake Decision Maker before you spend weeks catering to their ego can save you a ton of heartbreak. In other words, this is a skill worth honing.

For more sales tips, check out some of our favorite sales podcasts of 2020.

“How do we grow better?” Dharmesh Shah asked this very simple question at HubSpot’s INBOUND conference in 2018. It is a fantastic talk if you haven’t heard it before and you can find it here.

It is the very thought that I’ve had since my first founder journey took me on the rocket ship that was TrendKite. In 4 years from founding the company (circa Jan 2013), we went from a napkin idea and $0 in revenue to ~$25 million in revenue. 

We grew fast – the B2B sales team that I was fortunate to run hit 34/36 monthly quotas, grew to 100+ sellers, and was regarded as one of the fastest-growing startups in Austin. We eventually sold the company for $225 million in 2019. It was quite the ride.

However, when I left TrendKite, I became obsessed with the question, “How do we grow better?”. Since the inception of QuotaPath, we’ve had this insatiable hunger to map the customer journey. We live and breathe personas, and are CONSTANTLY talking to end-users to make sure we’re delivering value. Our product roadmap continues to be driven by the end-user. THAT is how we grow.

Along the way, there are certain companies, founders, and investors that help inspire this journey. And no company has stood out as a shining example of this more than HubSpot. I’ve constantly been impressed by their journey from “Inbound Marketing” to a company that will serve millions of customers around the globe to help them grow better.

When we launched our integration with the HubSpot CRM platform earlier this year, this became clear as we’ve doubled our customer base this year already. It is apparent that one of the ways QuotaPath can “grow better” is to partner with a strategic organization that has that very same mission.

With that said, I am very excited to announce that HubSpot Ventures has made a strategic investment in QuotaPath. This partnership allows us to go further with their CRM and have a front seat with their top-tier customers that are trying to solve sales compensation. 

HubSpot customers love to experiment and give feedback and it has been a pleasure to get to work with them. They are at the forefront of growth and scale and will be quick to make sure that you keep pace with them. We love and thrive living in their world.

A huge shoutout to the whole HubSpot team, and one special shoutout to Brandon Greer. Brandon and I have gotten to know each other over the years (mostly forming the relationship during the pandemic) and I think our partnership will play a key role in helping both of us “grow better.”

Read the full story, and learn more about HubSpot Ventures.

Need a new way to incentivize your team? You can’t hand out rewards unless you know whether your team is actually succeeding. Learn how to monitor sales performance and you’ll have your finger on the pulse of progress. Here’s how to set up tracking and make life easier as you and your team race toward a common goal.

What is sales performance?

Sales performance is a measurement of how well a salesperson or sales team is doing their job. In other words, are they selling? And if so, how much? This measurement should be quantifiable, meaning it’s a concrete number or percentage. Sales managers use sales performance to gauge whether their team is on track to meet a predetermined sales goal. In many instances, just achieving profitability or converting a prospect into a customer isn’t enough proof that everyone is on target. Sales performance should be looked at as a relative number to track progress and identify room for improvement.

Why is it important to monitor sales performance?

It’s impossible to know what to do next if you don’t know how you’ve done so far. Monitoring sales performance helps everyone on the sales team identify winning tactics and which approaches may not be so effective. By seeing how your team is performing, you can make smart, educated decisions. Instead of guesswork, you can tweak your game plan based on actual numbers generated and evaluated in real time.

And sales performance monitors more than just total sales, too. There are a number of sales metrics or KPIs you might track, such as:

• Sales per source
• Sales per demographic
• Sales per salesperson
• New customers vs. recurring sales
• Total sales in a defined time period
• Average length of the sales cycle
• Average revenue per customer

Armed with these numbers, you can identify new ways to increase motivation

Why it’s challenging to monitor sales performance when working from home

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a sharp rise in the number of people working from home. But the truth is, there’s been increasing activity in the WFH space for years. The number of employees telecommuting from home has jumped by 173% since 2005. Studies find that team members who are allowed to work from home are more productive and more loyal, but there are some downsides.

Getting up-to-date info on lead generation and close rates might be easier when your whole team is under the same roof, but there are alternatives. If your team is working remotely, it’s vital you come up with a way to track and share everyone’s activity. Working in isolation can be demotivating. There are more distractions and more reasons to push off those follow-up calls until tomorrow.

That kind of attitude can have devastating consequences. That’s why you should make it a priority to keep your entire team connected. Send out regular updates. Make a big deal every time someone hits a benchmark. Let there be no mistake that this business is everyone’s business. Stoke the fires of competition by creating a leaderboard and updating it regularly.

Setting clear goals and KPIs

KPIs, or key performance indicators, are values that offer clear, measurable insight into a certain business objective. There are tons of metrics to track on a sales team. The trick is choosing the ones that are the most relevant to your organization. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• New leads and opportunities
• Sales cycle time
• Emails and calls
• Opportunity win rate
• Cost to revenue ratio
• Deals closed

The metrics you choose may change depending on your current goal or campaign. You may even have different metrics for each salesperson. One may need to work on their overall number of contracts. Another may struggle with average deal size.

5 tips for monitoring sales performance

So, now you know why it’s crucial to monitor sales performance, but what’s the easiest way to keep tabs?

1. Leverage your CRM

Seek out customer relationship management (CRM) software that has a visual dashboard. Salesforce and HubSpot help you track your funnel and deliver a bird’s-eye view of performance at the same time. This user-friendly and super transparent approach keeps reps motivated and the whole team on target.

2. Keep your progress front and center

Out of sight means out of mind. Display sales KPIs on a big TV display on your second monitor. A giant whiteboard is a less tech-forward option, but it works well in a pinch. Update as deals move through your pipeline, or use it to compare the progress of everyone on your team.

3. Automate with Slack

Slack is a project management platform that streamlines communication. First, integrate Slack with your CRM. Then, create a dedicated channel, and Slack will automatically pull in all closed/won deals. You’re giving the sales team increased visibility, and you’re funneling data to the whole company.

4. Old-fashioned 1-on-1s

If you’re a salesperson, carve out time to meet with your manager on a regular basis. If you’re a sales manager, same idea, just in reverse. Use the time to review recent calls and uncover any roadblocks that may be standing between you and the finish line. The goal? To strategize how to close the deals in your pipeline and bring in more prospects — over and over and over again.

5. Take advantage of the right tools

Don’t ignore technology. Sales platforms and support software are there for a reason. QuotaPath makes it easy to track your commissions and monitor quota attainment. You can set goals and track your progress, all via an easy-to-use dashboard. Reps can sell smarter, not harder, and make strategic decisions that impact their earnings by forecasting to see earnings potential. It’s another example of gathering key intel to fuel winning strategies, but this time, the tech is doing the legwork.

Empower your team with up-to-date commission tracking and other key tools courtesy of QuotaPath. To get started, create your custom workspace today.

This is a guest post from Cody Short, Community Specialist at Shipt. Interested in writing for us? Contact info@quotapath.com.

The term “sales and marketing” are married to each other for a very specific reason. It’s all about business growth! One can not exist without the other. A company’s marketing team relies on the sales team to effectively pitch the product. The sales team relies on the marketing team to be able to position the product. As a sales rep, it’s easy to forget the work that the marketing team already has done for you and how you can utilize those assets when trying to reach quota. Here are 5 marketing tips that can help you reach your quota!

Know your target audience

This sounds simple, but that’s because it is. One of the first things a sales rep learns when pitching a product is knowing who the product is for. If you’re having a conversation about the product with the right person, then your one step closer to closing the deal! The company’s marketing team are the experts on what the customers think, buying patterns, and location. While they’re gathering that information about the ideal buyer persona they’re also keeping track of industry trends and competitors! Direct marketing can be a powerful tool for promoting your content and engaging with customers on a more personal level, allowing you to build relationships that will convert prospects into loyal customers.

Go after the leads

When I was a Sales Development Rep (SDR) my favorite leads were the inbound leads, for obvious reasons. The inbound leads are the direct results of marketing done right! Obviously, inbound leads don’t lead to a 100% conversion rate, but they can almost guarantee at least one conversation. Then, if you’re able to pitch the product well, the possibility of a second conversation can happen. If you’ve booked a demo with the right contact, but the conversation ends afterwards, that contact can be used as a lead in the future. Always circle back to those people you’ve talked to before and continue to nurture those relationships. Part of nurturing those relationships is making sure they’re subscribed to your company emails so that they’re at least receiving free information on product updates and even industry trends. Which leads to my next point…

Read the marketing content

Your company has created so much content to lure in those prospects so you can have the warmest leads! The content that’s been created usually positions the product, making it easier for you to sell it. Take a line or two from the blog, webinar, podcast, or Instagram post to help your prospect understand how the product can be useful to them. Not only does reading the marketing content help you understand how to talk about the product, but it’s also a good way to keep up with industry trends. Utilizing a website’s chatbot is also a great way to know a business and learn more about its product.

Utilize social media

Depending on the industry you’re selling to, some social media platforms would be better to use than others. For instance, if you’re in the healthcare industry, Twitter is a great platform to utilize. If you plan to engage more audience, you can use Instagram, download lovely free photos, modify them with Picsart’s AI photo editing software, and share about your company. Developing a website is always a great idea; it does not require huge expenses if you have outsourced web design and SEO. If you’re in tech, LinkedIn is the best! Since LinkedIn is a professional networking site, it’s generally used by most sales professionals, no matter the industry. So if you haven’t started using social selling for your company’s product,  LinkedIn is a great place to start, plus they provide the tools to assist in creating leads and even export LinkedIn search results for sales outreach campaigns. You can also use a LinkedIn automation tool that allows you to automate such processes as sending invites and messages for a more efficient outreach process. 

Know the brand

What is the thing that stands out about the product you’re selling? How does your company market that niche or unique thing about the product? ALWAYS talk about that! Driving home that one (or two) unique factors about the product can help further the conversation down the sales funnel. It also helps you sound like you know what you’re talking about and that you’re aware of the needs of the prospect.

Reaching your sales quota is always the goal, and can sometimes feel out of reach. It’s easy to forget about the resources that are made available to you when only using the traditional sales methods. Remember, the sales and marketing teams work hand and hand together. If you follow these steps, utilizing the marketing team’s information then you can become a better salesperson, consistently reaching your quota!

Today we’re introducing a new section of our app called Payouts, and humble brag: it’s awesome. We think so and our early beta testers do too. We’ve heard everything from, “This is AMAZING.” to “Totally game-changing.” and “I love the exports.” And even a few expletives. ???? 

Payouts is a feature built with Sales Ops, Finance, and Accounting in mind. When we think about running payroll, there’s a lot of pain points that organizations experience when paying their reps. 

• Organizations lack a place where they can store their team’s payout records. 
• Payouts are handled in spreadsheets, so there’s no way for everyone to have visibility.
• Reps only see their total earned amount and don’t know what deals they are getting paid out on. They lack insights into when their commissions will actually be paid out.
• There’s no clear audit trail.

Payout is solving for all of these.

Let’s dive into some of the capabilities of this dynamic and collaborative feature.

Auditing, confirming & processing payouts

Clear audit trails make it easy for Sales Ops to review and approve deal earnings. We made this actionable and motivating. Our goal is to “Inbox Zero” your commissions, giving your team visibility into when they’ll get paid while still maintaining a level of control. 

We know it’s hard to run commissions when deal data isn’t correct. Transparency means less work for Ops and more ownership for reps. Reps are incentivized to keep their CRM data up to date so there’s less overhead and more efficiency.

Scheduling payouts for your team

A seamless handoff to the Finance and Accounting team simplifies scheduling payouts. You can create multiple payouts on specific dates or installments to be paid over a period of time.  Clawbacks make it easy to catch overpayments or resolve earned amount issues. If you need to create rules based on client agreements like paying 50% upfront and 50% when the client pays, it’s easy to do. It’s flexible and we provide options for payout schedules.

Plus, reps have their own dashboard to see what’s been scheduled for them and any earned amount that hasn’t been scheduled yet. They’ll know exactly what’s on their paycheck and its deals.

Closing the books

Clean record keeping is important for Accounting. With Payouts, you’ll have an organized and easily navigable view of payout records and their relation to rep’s earnings.

We offer easy exporting to run payroll. You can filter exports based on time, plans, payees, or export all data by rep and enter the data into your payroll processor. Close the books for the period, and you’re done!

Payout records & reporting

Where we really differentiate from other commission tracking softwares is the ability to report payouts by Path. Since plans in QuotaPath are composed of Paths, which are different categories or components of a sales compensation plan, this allows us to uniquely report on the types of commissions being paid out. For example: commissions vs. bonuses, new business vs. renewals, or 1-year deals vs. multi-year deals. This is helpful for Finance to know what they are paying for each of the different types of revenue. By the way, if you plan to have more advanced knowledge and be certified, browse for CPA certification practice and become your own expert.

Made to fit your commission process

Think about it in terms of your company’s journey with commissions and payouts. Let’s say in a normal cycle month, commissions are run on the 15th. 

• Sales Ops can approve deals and audit data before handing it off to Finance.
• On the 15th through the 20th, Finance has easy access to the team’s deals, earnings, and payout records. They can schedule out payouts for the 30th. 
• Prior to the end of the month, reps can go in and double check for accuracy. 
• Finance can export the data so Accounting can run payroll through their payroll processor.

To sum it up, QuotaPath is the very first product to connect earnings all the way to payous, rooted in sales reps visibility. 

Are you ready to get payroll done right? Are you looking to quit wasting time & money on inaccurate commission calculations? Then Payouts is for you. Take a deeper dive into how it works. Or give it a spin with a 14-day trial, all for free.

You’ve probably heard of sales performance software at some point in your career. You may even have colleagues who’ve mentioned their own installs have come in handy. But what does the software actually do, and more importantly, is it worth it?

What is sales performance software?

Sales performance management software helps salespeople and those in leadership positions track a number of sales metrics related to their department. Depending on the platform, this can include:

• Number (and value) of sales
• Length of a sales cycle
• Average contract value
• Incentive compensation
• Total sales compensation
• Quota attainment

All this data can be used for various purposes, nearly all of which contribute to overall efficiency and efficacy.

Key features and benefits of sales performance software

The main benefit of using sales performance software is the ability to monitor sales performance and progress. Automated tracking removes all the guesswork and the capacity for human error.

Imagine you’re loading information into a spreadsheet by hand and relying on manual calculation. One numerical mistake or incorrect entry and every resulting outcome is skewed. Sales performance software paves the way for unparalleled accuracy.

There are other key benefits for your business, too.

Transparency

Forget black box data. Keeping your team in the dark regarding their own sales accomplishments makes people feel uneasy. It’s no surprise that anxious, worried people tend to underperform.

The shared dashboards found on top-tier sales platforms enable everyone to have powerful insight. Your team knows where they stand personally and sees how they’re performing in relation to their coworkers. This can be a major motivator.

Identifying focus areas

Armed with vital information generated by sales performance software, salespeople can focus on strengthening their attributes. The software proactively identifies individuals or processes that need improvement. Now you can steadily collect data to help mentor your team or advise training to achieve better results.

Metrics & reporting

Speaking of metrics, those all-important numbers are easy to find using sales performance software. User-friendly interfaces make reports available at the simple push of a button, and C-suite executives can take a look at will.

How sales performance software can improve quota attainment

Perhaps the best aspect of sales software is the power to fuel growth and inspire everyone to meet the team’s sales goals. Depending on the data, you may change your best practices and create a new plan for growth. Or, you may decide to reward the top performer or create a more targeted campaign for a new product.

Set and track personal and team goals

Important for obvious reasons, goal tracking helps everyone keep the big picture in mind. Review relevant metrics and set goals specific to each individual. Remember, salespeople have different strengths and weaknesses which is why blanket approaches to motivation are underwhelming.

Perhaps you have a team member who is great at warming up leads but has trouble closing. Maybe there’s a newer salesperson who struggles with an overlong sales cycle. With the right software, you can see what these pain points are and set goals designed to nurture improvements.

Help manage the pipeline

Sales pipeline management is the practice of being hands on (or at least eyes on) through every stage of the sales cycle. And this applies not only to one sale but to the entire team’s active and prospective deals.

With a dashboard that displays everyone’s status, you can quickly identify what needs attention ASAP. You can also see what was accomplished in a certain time period. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll see what will be hitting the P&L sheet in the coming days, weeks or months.

Gain easy access to historical sales data

If you want to make accurate sales projections, you need accurate data from past sales periods. This data can tell you a lot about sales cycles and engagement. Review activity by season, month or territory, see which are more active and track information about specific products or salespeople.

Why QuotaPath is the top sales performance software

Sales experts skillfully designed QuotaPath to be the sales performance software your team has been waiting for. Using the QuotaPath platform, you can:

• Understand individual and team earnings and monitor quota attainment
• Align your whole sales team to track performance, results and revenue
• Integrate with existing CRM tools, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, to pull in deal data automatically

All this and QuotaPath is easy and inexpensive to set up and implement. No cumbersome interfaces with a giant learning curve, and no budget-busting onboarding fees. Just expert software that works for your department, your team, and the powers that be.

For more information, reach out to our team, or book a demo and see how QuotaPath can work for you.

Software as a service, better known as SaaS, is one of the fasting growing sectors in technology. Thanks to a sharp increase in the number of people working remotely, cloud-based software is becoming a crucial part of professional success. As a SaaS salesperson, it’s your job to help prospects understand why SaaS matters and what it can do for them. That’s how you earn your SaaS commission. But how do you know if you have the skills to succeed in SaaS sales?

Nothing can determine 100% if someone will be good in this area of sales. However, there are some traits that most of the top SaaS salespeople we know have. And surprise — experience isn’t one of them.

Integrity

Here are your first words of wisdom for today: Churn is the enemy of B2B sales. Selling software as a service is selling an experience. You need to be authoritative, trustworthy and confident. Without these three attributes, you’ll lose customers because they’ve lost faith in you. When customers cancel their subscriptions or opt-out of renewal, that’s churn.

Salespeople who exhibit integrity are truthful and honest about what their tool does. There’s no fibbing about functionality or promising features that don’t exist. That approach doesn’t work because time eventually proves those tales to be false, and the customer knows you’ve misled them.

Sell leads on what a tool really does and how it speaks to their needs. Make truth and integrity your foundation, and the deals will follow.

Curiosity about B2B SaaS sales skills and beyond

Knowledge is power, but no one wraps up sales education and hand delivers it. It’s easier to make a sale if you know about your business and customers. But you have to put forth the effort to gather and take advantage of that information.

Podcasts and books

Load up your smartphone with sales podcasts and audiobooks about B2B sales. Play it anytime you’re stuck in traffic or on the treadmill at the gym. Even prepping dinner or folding laundry at home is an opportunity to soak up some more info.

Know who you’re working for

Learn about the history of your company, its mission statement and its vision for the future. Understanding these things helps to position yourself and your division as a department consumers can trust. Remember integrity? It comes into play again here.

Learn your SaaS product inside and out

You need to know how your SaaS solution works. That means understanding the specs and using the software repeatedly until you can demo like a pro.

If you come off as confused or uncertain, how can the customer have any confidence the software will work for them?

Get to know your audience

At the end of the day, you’re not selling software — you’re selling a solution. Most prospects, B2B or B2C, aren’t looking for a specific item but rather something that addresses their pain points. Whether they need help managing orders, scheduling staff or facilitating team projects, you can frame your product as their answer.

At the end of the day, the more you learn, the better you are.

Grit

In sales, you’re always going to hear “no” a lot more than yes. From cold phone calls to demos, you’ll put a ton of work into warming up leads and attempting to close deals. Too often, your efforts fall flat. That’s sales. Honing your skills may boost your close percentage, but if you don’t hear no, you’re not taking enough risk. It really is as simple as that.

The key is to keep pushing through. Don’t take losses personally. Use every no as an opportunity to examine what you could’ve done differently. Notice we say “differently” and not “better.” Hearing no isn’t a failure.

There are a plethora of ways to approach SaaS sales. Maybe you used the wrong approach. Next time, you’ll know how to tweak your presentation when you encounter a similar audience or pain point. Or, maybe it just wasn’t a good fit. Not every product works for every prospect. Being an ethical salesperson means realizing that sometimes it’s just not going to happen and you need to stop pushing.

Selflessness

Speaking of letting go, a good salesperson learns to put everyone else first. The customer is obviously paramount because without them, we have nothing. But you also need to be a team player. Work as a unit to achieve widespread customer access. Accept critiques in the spirit in which it is intended. Offer positive reinforcement to your coworkers or employees to help recharge their batteries in between pitches.

Many industries work off the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats, but this premise is often forgotten in sales. It’s not surprising. So many sales metrics focus on individual achievement.

How:

• Much is Salesperson A selling?
• Many leads are they bringing in?
• Long is their sales cycle?
• Many demos are they scheduling?

A great salesperson remembers that everyone’s numbers matter, not just their own. Sales managers can help by reframing the importance of teamwork and rewarding employees who look out for more than just themselves.

Improvement focused

There is no “done” in sales. Want a career in which you can settle back in your chair, put your feet up and admire your accomplishments? Look elsewhere. Great salespeople are focused on improvement, sometimes to the point of obsession. That’s where gamification comes into play as a fantastic motivator. Because salespeople want to get better and achieve more, they’re eager for inspiration and specific targets to boost their numbers.

Even a 1% improvement each day leads to meteoric growth.

Competitive

And here we have one of the most recognizable attributes of a stellar salesperson — competitiveness. They want to outpace their own numbers and everyone else’s. The trick is to enjoy competition in a healthy way and not to a negative extent. “Winning at all costs” isn’t really winning. Hurting others to score a deal isn’t a smart way to go, either.

A positive competitive nature makes sales fun. You get to enjoy the camaraderie that comes with challenging your office buddies with who can set the most appointments for that week. You get to see the glint in your employees’ eyes when you set a sales quota for your SaaS reps. These goals fuel hard work and progress, but only if they’re done with positivity and respect.

Organized

Do you know what’s truly awful? Knowing you have a lead on the hook and realizing you can’t close because you misplaced a vital piece of information. Or maybe it’s time for follow-up calls with your existing clients, and your CRM is a mess. Organization isn’t some finicky undertaking that wastes time. It actually saves time by ensuring all the data you need is positioned where you can find it.

Keep your desk and digital workspace organized, and it’ll be easier to organize yourself, too. Set a schedule that helps you remember when to send those “touching base” emails or know when a client’s subscription is up for renewal. Your life will be easier, your team will function better and you’ll serve your clients sufficiently. Win-win-win!

Coachable

Coachable salespeople can take feedback well. They don’t push back when encouraged to try a new approach. This is important because there are so many different ways to nurture leads, entertain prospects and close a deal. You cannot choose one method and expect it to work in every situation.

Many of the characteristics above work best if you’re open to mentorship. If you’re competitive, expert coaching can help boost your numbers and come out on top of department challenges. When you’re curious, your coach can teach you about tried-and-true sales techniques as well as innovative approaches that could change your entire client-facing dynamic. If you want to be more organized, you can learn from your coach how they run their calendar or schedule follow-up calls.

Be open to help, and try recommendations even if they make you feel a little uncomfortable. You may be surprised.

Creative

Lastly, a strong salesperson embraces a creative mindset. They’re willing to try new things and even run experiments to see what helps them sell the most and convert leads faster. This might mean doing A/B testing, which involves taking two different approaches to selling new software and seeing which hits home.

If you deal with tons of emails, try toying with subject lines or personalization. Or, you might create different scripts, depending on which channels your leads came from, such as social media, direct mail or PPC ads.

Being creative in sales is like learning to paint with color when you’ve been stuck with a purely black-and-white palette for years. It’s a gift, and it’s one that can benefit the entire team.

A big part of personal growth in sales is understanding where you are so you can decide on new goals. QuotaPath can help. A unique combination of accurate commission tracking, easy compensation management and a personal sales journal puts improvement at your fingertips. For more information, sign up for a free account today.

Sales are lagging. The average sales cycle is so long that you’re breaking all the wrong kinds of records. And as for team morale, well, let’s just say it could be better. When your sales metrics are sinking, it’s time to learn how to increase motivation. These 20 expert tips can help.

1. Celebrate wins

If you want your team to be a success, make sure they know how many wins count. And not just the big wins, either. While there’s no need to start throwing a party every time someone picks up a lead, it’s important to recognize achievements when they happen. Give a public shout out to team members hitting sales quotas, and deliver bonuses to those shortening the sales cycle. Then watch others strive to join in on the fun.

2. Foster a culture of recognition

While you’re celebrating wins, incorporate other forms of recognition until weekly shout outs become commonplace. These don’t have to be major monetary prizes or even a prize at all. Maybe you’ll mention a salesperson who scored a major deal in that week’s company newsletter. Or, you’ll start every Monday morning meeting with a round of applause for the employees who hit quota the previous week.

3. Learn how to increase motivation with goal setting

People with no idea where the target is won’t know where to aim. Setting goals gives your team members purpose and helps quantify progress and track improvement. Goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and trackable.

4. Stay healthy

Motivation won’t matter if your team lacks the energy and mindset to formulate and execute a plan of attack. Encourage them to get enough sleep, stay hydrated and take breaks. You can also facilitate health by taking engaging steps, such as holding weekly yoga classes and giving everyone a branded water bottle.

5. Invest in the right tools

Make sure you have all the tools you need in your tech stack. For instance, software that supports team collaboration can keep coworkers connected even when they’re on the road or working from home. Then there’s QuotaPath, which makes tracking commission and other data points easier and more accurate than ever.

6. Keep your data clean

Data hygiene is crucial. By keeping your CRM data clean, you allow for greater efficiency and remove barriers that could otherwise prove frustrating for your team.

7. Build team-wide trust

Build trust amongst teammates, and they’ll work better together, and better for you. Take a look at team-building exercises, but also take the time to understand how your teammates work. Actively tackling communication gaps, especially between managers and subordinates, is also vital.

8. Regular 1-1 coaching sessions with managers

Want your salespeople to improve? Hook them up with mentors and make those meetings routine. When you remove the ability to opt-out, you ensure everyone gets access to valuable guidance — whether they think they need it or not.

9. Team training

The team that learns together wins together. Colleagues can motivate each other by sharing strengths and spotting weaknesses. Look to call recordings and group critiques to boost accountability and motivate the masses.

10. Conflict resolution

Distractions only serve to take the team’s eye off the prize, and drama is the biggest distraction of all. Use mediation and no-tolerance policies to stop bullying and infighting in their tracks.

11. Track performance

Knowing the exact status of professional success can be majorly motivating. If you’re doing well, you’ll want to keep that up. If you’re not, you’ll want to make changes to improve your commission and standing. QuotaPath tracks personal and team quota attainment and earnings, letting employees forecast potential earnings so that they can adjust performance on the fly.

12. Be transparent

Secrets are no fun, and they certainly don’t help anyone. As a sales operations manager or other supervisor, it’s your responsibility to be upfront with expectations. Transparency is how your team understands your expectations and learns how to grow.

13. Make new team traditions

Inspiring employees to be a part of the greater good — the company’s good, in this case — only works if they feel like they belong. Establish new team traditions and watch camaraderie swell.

14. Create a positive working environment

Research shows that highly engaged teams are 21% more profitable. Infuse your department with positive vibes that reach even those employees working from home, and you’re sure to reach your goals.

15. Choose to be a role model

No one’s expecting leadership to be perfect. But you can’t ask your team to do as you say, and not as you do. Be an example of how you want people to act, connect and hustle, and they’re more likely to do the same.

16. Focus on time management

One out of every eight phone calls will need repeating because of missing information.

Ten minutes of daily planning could save as much as two hours of time later on. On a typical day, office workers log onto social media a staggering 77 times and check their digital inbox another 50 times. All these infringements add up. Find ways to make your team more effective and efficient so everyone works smarter, not necessarily harder.

17. Make it fun with gamification

Sales is innately competitive, so it only makes sense to capitalize on the spirit of competition. Gamification uses games — hence the name — to help make selling fun.

18. Keep a positive mindset

Moods are contagious. If you’re angry, upset, frustrated or otherwise marinating in negative emotions, your team is going to feel that tension. Plus, it’s just bad for your health. On the other hand, intentional positivity could inspire your staff to be just as cheery — and prospects will pick up on the good vibes.

19. Face your fears

Being in sales can be terrifying, especially if you’re afraid of hearing the word “no.” It’s normal to have a healthy fear of losing a sale or falling short of the quota. But sometimes tackling those fears is exactly what a salesperson needs to reach the next level. Consider those weak points when setting goals and encourage everybody to work on whatever aspect of sales scares them most.

20. Never lose sight of the big picture

It’s wonderful to learn how to increase motivation and create programs that galvanize your entire team into action. But as you’re focusing on stirring spirits, don’t forget about the big picture. A successful sales department or company is more than meeting a quota or achieving a short sales cycle. Strategy, connection and metrics all help move your team forward.

Need help keeping track of it all? QuotaPath is a powerful sales tool thanks to capabilities that include commission tracking, compensation and more. To see how commission automation can help motivate your team, book a demo today.