Resolve to Bolster Your Top Sales Performers in 2023

Audit CRM User Activity Completion Reports. Sales and BDC have to track all activity in the CRM to manage leads more effectively and provide an integrated customer experience. Daily reviews allow you to see who is following process and who is falling behind. This insight indicates where more training is needed and allows you to speak with poor performers before sales are lost.

Respond faster with texting. Don’t sleep on text messaging. Texting is faster than a phone call and on average results in 78% higher open rates than email. More than 90% of texts are read within three minutes of being received. It’s an excellent form of real-time, two-way, contactless conversation. Purchase business-only mobile devices for employees and tie them into your CRM to ensure you capture complete customer records and safeguard customer data.

Get clarity on performance expectations. If expectations aren’t clear, performance can easily veer off track, even when the employee believes they’re doing a great job. A recent Harvard Business Review study found participants who stuck to a goal-oriented plan performed 30% better than those who didn’t. Setting specific goals increases motivation which leads to better results.

Teach employees to leverage technology to meet the customer where they are in the process. A connected process where digital retailing tools integrate with your CRM and mobile devices means your salespeople only have to ask a customer’s name to pick up exactly where the customer left off, without retreating back to the sales floor. This improves the experience and shortens the sales process.

Train for informed consultants. Today’s sales training is about helping consumers navigate the technology tools your dealership provides. It’s about answering every question instead of immediately pushing for the appointment, and it’s about the flexibility to sell 100% virtually and on the floor.

Develop new word tracks and templates. Employees must be able to explain inventory shortages, vehicles-in-transit and the process of ordering a vehicle to customers. Develop new phone scripts and email and text templates that describe the situation and introduce the concept of virtual inventory. Explain the ordering process, timeline and benefits.

Practice in-the-moment coaching. Step in right after a salesperson or BDC agent interacts with a customer. This is not micro-managing, but talking about the conversation, information shared, and the customer response. Share what went well and what could have been handled differently.

Hold quick daily meetings. Gather your sales and BDC teams for quick 10-minute meetings before you open your doors. Share customer “wins,” role-play a common customer interaction, share a sales technique, etc. The point is to reinforce that everyone is on the same team working toward a common goal. If daily is too much, start weekly and go from there. Don’t meet only once a month. You won’t get a sense of camaraderie and people forget what they’ve learned if it’s not reinforced frequently.