Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

In Feb 09 I will be finishing a final push for creating a 3 - 5 person Sales Staff for a Web Development firm I own. This position is for people that do not work in an office, but Referral Based. All work between my firm and my Sales Staff will be done on the phone, through PDA, and a Task Management Software where they can login and submit new clients/referrals.

I am looking for advice on how to handle such a move for me as the owner of the business and the "boss" of these salesmen, as previously my firm was just me - in 09 I plan on hiring said sales staff and maybe a Project Manager.

Also, is there literature I can review which show proven methods for me to use on my Sales Staff to help moral and eventually an increase in sales?

I am young and finally realizing a dream of running a business for myself, and looking for advice on when I hire employees, and what methods will produce the best results for every one involved.

Are these salespeople going to be commission based or on salary? That makes a huge difference. Since they are working remotely you will not have much control if they are only on commission. You will have to find go getters that want to make things happen. If they are on salary the managment style will be different. You have more control because you are sending them a check regardless if they bring in sales intially. Before you start to manage the biggest part of your challange is finding the right people. Sales is normally a high turnover position unless you really are good at recruiting. You need to know what interview questions to ask to see what the are really made of. An example would be:

In your last position tell me about your day. How many cold calls did you make? How many appointments did you go on?

You would be suprised how different the answers will be to this question.

After you have identifed your team you should set up activity protocols. What are your target customers? How many calls per day do you want the person to make? What are the ramp up quotas? Things like this will give clarity to your sales team.

Daily check ins work really well to to drive activity. Again, knowing what questions to ask are critical here.

Last, having a though out sales plan really helps to stay focused and have your team understand the company goals.

If you need any other help please let me know!

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