Many companies tend to lack in productivity simply because their sales team is not performing. This quickly becomes a crisis if  not dealt with appropriately, but there is much more to it than just getting rid of negative factors affecting sales.  Here are 7 steps to turning around a non-performing sales team.

As the leader,  you are responsible for setting goals, or milestones, for your team. Good goals are  specific. You must be precise about what you want your team to accomplish. The last thing you need  is for your team to be confused and unsure about what they should be doing . The broader vision of where your company is headed needs to be supported by a series of measurable goals and milestones so that your team know exactly how they are doing and problems in productivity can be identified and weeded out quickly and effectively .

 

Keep the Team Informed About Their Progress against Their Milestones

 
As simple as this is, many businesses and team leaders  often forget to update  their teams on their progress. Failing to provide your team with feedback is disastrous in the long run. It  sends the message that you are not concerned about the goals you have set for them and the company, or worse, that you do not believe in them. If you don’t care, why should they?

 

Hold the Team Members Accountable

 
When  someone or something is not performing as  they should , you need to deal with it  immediately. Each and every member of the team needs to pull their own weight. By allowing performance issues to fester, you are dragging the team performance down and, worse, cultivating resentment in those members of the team who are making valuable contributions.

 

Evaluate the Team Progress Periodically

 
There are many tools you can use  to measure your team’s progress and form  new strategies for improvement. Be sure  to benchmark your team’s progress periodically. This will give you all the information and statistics you need to see things as they are and where they might be headed, instead of relying on blind generalizations .

 

Hire People Who Are Competent and Think Out of the Box

 
Birds of a feather flock together. Having top performers on a team will attract other top performers to that team, this is an undeniable statistic. The best salespeople  hate being part of teams that slow them down. Hire good people who are not only good at the jobs you need them to do, but bring something new to the table and are aligned with what your company wants to achieve. This will help stimulate growth and push your team to new heights. .

 

Emphasize the Rules and Guidelines

 
In order for progress to be made, each and every member of the team needs to be on the same page. If there are rules, make sure they are followed because “what you permit you promote”. As a leader, you need to lead by example and make sure your team  follows suit . Take meetings for example. Make sure meetings start and end on time and
cover their  entire intended agendas. Team members who failed to attend the meeting need to be dealt with. . This needs to be  enforced consistently and without bias. Being a team means everyone needs to follow the rules, whether they like it or not.

 

Get Rid Of Non-Performers

 
Everyone deserves a chance, but when everything else fails, it is time to  get rid of the non-performers. Most teams notice an almost immediate increase in energy after the problem elements are removed.  And while firing someone is not a pleasant responsibility, you will be respected for saving your team from the continued influence of bad team members. Remember that firing people that don’t perform is also an act of kindness towards these individuals that will likely be able to find other jobs where they can be more successful.

 

These steps should help you form a clear plan to identifying the problems holding your team back and start turning your team around.  Formulate what works for you and your company into a process and stick to it when you encounter performance issues rather than blindly trying  different things each time. Having consistency helps build your team’s faith in your leadership, and that itself can start inspiring them in little ways to turn things around.