High contact numbers are the key to inside sales success. Yet on any given day, only about 1/3 of reps can make 75 or more calls and about half make less than 50. Meanwhile, only about 11% of calls result in contact.
Contacts lead to sales, and the way to get more contacts is to make more calls. And that means giving your reps more time. Here are some common time killers for inside sales reps and what to do about them.
Get these time wasters down and the rest of your numbers go up.
Time Killer Number 1: Administrative work.
Inside sales reps can spend a good portion of their days on non-sales tasks like pricing approvals and billing. A lot of this work, especially billing, can be assigned to related departments. When this work’s reassigned, salespeople have more time to focus on generating revenue.
Time Killer Number 2: Contracts and Proposals.
Don’t let sales reps create their own RFPs and contracts. This not only wastes their time, it puts the company at risk. These documents can be legally binding. Create standardized templates and assign well-trained pre-sales and support teams to customize for the opportunity.
Time Killer Number 3: Sales Collateral.
Do each of your reps have their own versions of brochures and presentations? They may think they know what customers need, but it’s a waste of time and can damage your brand. Charge your marketing department to create standardized materials that convey the right messages. Let the on-demand sales coaching in your CRM tell salespeople which piece to use when.
Time Killer Number 4: Lack of motivation.
Inside sales takes a lot of fortitude. All day you make calls and only about one prospect in ten will talk to you. Reward and recognition systems can help keep staff focused. Clearly define business goals and growth targets (like new industries or cross-selling) and leave room to reward the top performers with incentives or pay hikes.
Time Killer Number 5: CRM data entry.
Every contact, whether it’s productive or not, needs to be recorded in your CRM. The typical call requires seven clicks, that’s seven operations, before a rep can move onto the next call.
Rollio has a web app that eliminates these operations. Reps simply type into the app while they’re on the phone (or immediately after) and Rollio populates all the salesforce.com fields automatically. Reps who prefer can even talk to the app.
This is proven to give inside sales reps an extra hour each day to sell. That can mean 2,500 – 5,000 more calls more calls per year. Or up to 550 more contacts. Click here for a live demo.
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