Lessons Learned from Scaling a Distributed Sales Team
/Are you looking to expand your sales force across the nation? Scaling a distributed sales team comes with unique challenges. At Pitch Lab, we've learned valuable lessons about fast growing sales teams from both our successes and mistakes.
Here are five critical tips to help you grow your remote sales organization effectively:
1. Develop a Comprehensive Sales Playbook
Why is a playbook so vital? It's your team's north star, guiding them through every step of the sales process. A well-designed playbook:
Standardizes best practices across all markets
Accelerates onboarding for new hires
Avoid bottlenecks caused by reliance on a few key individuals
Eliminates the "reinventing the wheel" syndrome in new territories
Remember, your playbook should capture the knowledge of your top performers. Don't let this vital information remain siloed. Remember, a living, breathing playbook evolves with your team's successes.
Pro tip: Consider using AI to streamline your playbook creation process. It can help you organize and synthesize information 90% faster.
2. Foster a Culture of Accountability
How do you keep remote salespeople on track? Build a sales culture of accountability:
Implement the right org structure: Aim for 1 manager per 8 salespeople max
Avoid the "player-coach" model: Managers should focus on leading, not selling
Conduct meaningful one-on-ones: These are your pulse checks on individual performance
Define clear, measurable KPIs: What gets measured, gets managed
The secret sauce? A strong middle management layer. These leaders bridge the gap between executives and frontline salespeople, ensuring accountability at every level.
3. Hire for Drive, Not Just Skills
In the rush to scale, it's tempting to hire based on resume alone. Resist this urge. Instead, look for candidates with:
A compelling personal "why" that aligns with your company's mission
Intrinsic motivation that goes beyond just earning a paycheck
A competitive spirit and a genuine need to achieve
Resilience and optimism in the face of inevitable setbacks
Remember, you can teach product knowledge and sales techniques, but drive comes from within. Take the time to dig deep in interviews and assess candidates' core motivations.
4. Remove Distractions
As your company grows, it's easy for salespeople to become jacks-of-all-trades. This is a recipe for mediocrity. To maximize results:
Clearly define the salesperson's role: Their primary job is to sell, period
Offload non-sales tasks: Find ways to handle account management, customer service, and admin work separately
Specialize roles as soon as possible. As you scale, bring in specialists to handle tasks that distract from selling
The more you can shield your sales team from distractions, the more time they'll have to focus on revenue-generating activities.
5. Know When to Infuse Outside Talent
While promoting from within has its merits, it can lead to stagnation if overdone. Bringing in outside talent:
Introduces new ideas and best practices from other industries
Challenges status quo and "we've always done it this way" thinking
Creates healthy competition and motivates existing team members to up their game
Fills skill gaps that may be missing in your current team
Strive for a balance between nurturing internal talent and bringing in fresh blood. This hybrid approach keeps your sales organization dynamic and adaptable.
Ready to Take Your Distributed Sales Team to the Next Level?
Implementing these strategies takes effort, but the payoff in scalable growth is worth it. Just ask Fluid Truck.
Want to dive deeper into how we helped Fluid Truck scale their distributed sales team during a period of hyper-growth?
Click here to check out our Fluid Truck case study. It's packed with more insights, strategies, and real-world examples of how we helped them scale.
