Category: sales

7 Field force Practices to Engage and Improve Sales

Every business must strive hard to engage and retain its customers. Offering a fantastic experience is quintessential for companies planning to engage customers better. To achieve that, every employee of the company should be proactive.

Of the different departments that deliver customer experience, the role played by internal and external sales (field sales executives) is vital.

Many companies today face the massive challenge of engaging their field force and internal sales team as they lack defined strategy, tools, technology, and vision.

The year 2023 is critical for customer-driven organizations. In 2022 many companies face challenges due to the COVID impact, and 2023 could be a game changer and have to change gears to accelerate productivity, improve employee engagement and deliver a fantastic customer experience. If the organizations didn’t realize the challenges yet, they might be in no man’s land in the upcoming years.

If you’re looking to plan your 2023 field force engagement and improvement, this post will help you with some 7 practical insights.

Communicate company’s vision to key stakeholders

Before sharing your vision with your stakeholders, it is crucial to have one for the next 5 years. Planning for at least 5 years is important to take your business to the next level. Many companies overlook this part and struggle in the long run.

So, develop a vision and communicate the same with the key stakeholders. Especially, the field force, marketing and internal sales team should have thorough understanding of the goals to align with them.

Having the marketing, field, and internal sales team on the same page will ensure business success in the long run. Discuss the technology updates, modernizing operations, systems, etc., with them to improve production.

Sit down and talk with your field force team

Problem with many companies is that they don’t spend enough time with the field force and internal sales team. As they hear from no one, the field force teams carry on with their routine and don’t share a lot about the challenges and customer feedback with the top management.

Sitting and talking to them will help them understand the problems and challenges they face while meeting customers. This could help you with some data to improve their operations and morale.

Modernize sales operations

If you want to transform your customer experience in the years to come, you have to start internally. The transformation should start within your company. Modernize the sales operations and persuade the internal and sales reps by detailing the benefits of transforming the operations with advanced applications, technologies, and system. If there are no takers, then there is no point in making one. Cultural change needs to be addressed as it is the sales team who will meet customers on a daily basis.

Empower field sales with technology

2023 will be a tech era, and only companies that feed on the technology will survive. Plan for updating your legacy systems with advanced field service management software to improve the operations.

Without such a system in place, it is hard for your field sales team to step up their productivity and meet customers on time. Technology advancements like mobile applications, AI, and Cloud are transforming many companies’ field sales operations. Be there before your competitor does.

Ensure training and trial runs

No one would love to take up a new initiative as they have to step out of their comfort zone. You have to convince your sales team to drive training programs to improve their morale and confidence. If they realize the technology upgrade is for performing better, chances are there that they will deliver to their fullest potential.

Simplify field sales operations

If you have interacted with a field sales executive, oftentimes you could hear that they have an intelligent system that will simplify their day-to-day activities. Performing every task manually takes a lot of effort and time, and many sales executives don’t prefer that. With advanced software powered by modern technologies can simplify their operations to a great extent.

Engage employees using field sales software

Go for field force automation Solution to improve the back-and-forth communication between you, internal and external sales teams. Field force applications are highly useful for every stakeholder involved in the sales process as they make the entire process transparent and help share sales data instantly from anywhere.

Marking attendance, meeting customers, sharing feedback, and requesting leaves or permissions is simple for field sales personnel as they don’t have to do everything manually. This saves a lot of time and fuel cost. The field sales software steadily accelerates the sales cycles and helps you make the faster and better decision quickly and effectively.

Well, how to find the best software as there is a wide array of field sales software available in the market?

Implementing reliable and futuristic field sales applications is critical for engaging your field sales and improving customer experience. Check the implementation partner’s experience, portfolio, customer testimonials, app development expertise, post-implementation support, online presence, communication channels, training offers, etc. It is not hard as you think—all you need to do is spend time on the internet.

Top companies will help you and your sales team with the correct details and can even offer training programs about the software. Some companies offer free trials for the customers for a quarter or 30-days to use their software. You can try such products and use them for some time before finalizing your Field Sales Mobile App implementation partner.

Conclusion

It doesn’t matter if you have not taken any technology initiatives, but it is a must for you to reconsider your strategy in 2023. The next few years will see a massive spike in technology investments and implementations, and only tech-enabled companies will earn customers’ trust.

So, start practicing the above strategies in the coming years, beat the competition, and improve customers’ experience.

Need more details on field sales software and its benefits? Try our field sales product now. We bet you’d love it.

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August 29, 2022
Field Service Management: How to Simplify Business Operations
A common challenge that most SMBs face today is the insufficient time leading to declined productivity. Of the many factors that contribute to productivity lapse are manual processes, systems, and tools.

Still, many companies rely on manual processes believing they are cost-effective and easy to use.

But, in practice, they’re not. Manual systems and tools often need much money for management and hamper employee productivity.

Just imagine, what if your field service teams have to spend nearly 3 hours every day inputting the field data to the report sheet. With such activity, it makes no sense to blame the employees for the delay in the customer meetings and task completions.

Field service manual operation challenges
1. Time-consuming and labor-intensive
2. Inaccurate data
3. Delayed scheduled appointments
4. Difficulty in field sales route planning and tracking
5. Poor data integration to the CRM
6. Expensive to maintain and manage
7. Chained to desktops to input data
8. Production delays
9. Unhappy customers
10. Negative RoI
When such things happen in a company, a possible outcome will be below-par customer service and experience. What could this mean to your business? Of course, you’ll be losing many customers in a quick interval of time. Remember, when a customer moves to another brand, chances are less that they will revisit your brand.

Business processes and systems in a company should be in a way that they not only help your company deliver unparalleled customer experience. It also present your company with new revenue-boosting opportunities.

Looking for options to overcome the field service employee shortcomings and productivity hampering?

This post has covered a widely deployed solution to accelerate your productivity and field service operations.

Digital advancements have transformed almost all departments of SMBS, and field sales is no exception.

Of the many solutions, if there is one solution that boosts the field sales operations of many companies today, it is field sales management software.

Let’s discuss how the emerging software helps the field sales team and accelerates their operations.

Simplifies field sales operations with real-time data sharing

Field service employees leave the business premises every day to meet customers. The manual routes and task allocation sometimes hamper productivity.

The challenges are that the routes may not be feasible for transporting due to bad weather and roads. This can delay the customer meetings, leading to frustrated customers.

Also, updating the field service data after customer meetings is daunting as they have to enter every piece of information in the evening. There are two problems: (i) collecting the data from customers without any mistakes and (ii) interpreting the same data without any errors in the CRM.

Both are challenging when performed manually. Think how better it would be if your field service team could update the customer data in real-time from the customer place to CRM without breaking a sweat. This could save much time for your service manager and field sales executive.

Yes, this is possible with the help of field service management app.

Syncs service managers and field service executives using real-time tracking

Another massive challenge that every service manager and field sales executive faces is collaborating and communicating with each other while they are out for customer visits.

The manual processes often hamper the communications between the two, and mostly, phone calls connect them. It is hard for someone traveling to understand and execute the information flawlessly.

Well, what if your field force manager can instantly collaborate and communicate with the team through an application and get instant replies from them.

This could save much time for both. Using the real-time data sharing feature in the field service management app, accelerating the field service operations won’t be backbreaking for businesses.

Helps track field service team out for visits from anywhere, any time

Tracking the field service agents out for customer places is demanding for service managers. Unless the agent updates the details, it is hard for any service manager to track the route and customer meeting details.

The service managers are blindfolded to such details, which impacts overall productivity badly. As they don’t know where every field service agent is, they don’t have complete control over the entire process. With no data to act upon until the end of the day, they don’t have any other option but to wait till they hear from a rep.

But, the complete blinded folded process can be easily improved with the help of field service Software.

The app-enabled software automates the complete process and brings transparency between the field service and managers.

The managers can monitor and track every movement of the rep, and the latter can update the details to the managers without any difficulty. In this way, both can expedite the process and productivity rate significantly.

Expedites decision-making process with accurate CRM data

Data plays a critical role in the growth of any business. You’re gone if you don’t have the correct data to analyze and act.

The manual processes and operations often lead to manufactured errors, reflecting on the data part. The false data entered into the CRM can easily delay or divert you from making the right decisions. It will help your business grow faster.

To avoid this, you need software to help you with 100% accurate data. Field sales mobile app can help you with this.

The tool captures the accurate data from the field sales team and allows to input the data into the CRM instantly.

The service managers and C-level executives can leverage the data to make faster and better decisions that contribute to the company’s growth.

In a nutshell, the automation software will help you save time and the cost of your business while paving the way for new opportunities and revenue streams.

Final thoughts

Automating the process with suitable systems and tools can significantly improve business performance, operations, and growth.

Invest in the right field service management software today to improve yours.
August 16, 2022
Field Sales: #4 Tips to Boost Your Sales Team’s Weekly Productivity

Be it a small, medium, or large company, and if your sales team is not performing to the mark, then there are chances that your competitors will outsmart you.

Effective sales operations are critical for the success of every business. And, it is a must to understand the sales team’s needs to improve their efficiency.

Mostly, defective planning, inadequate goal setting, lack of preparation, imperfect execution, and inferior team handling leads to sales rep’s production decline.

Also, not presenting them with the right tools and technologies can play a critical role in the decline of operational efficiency.

Let’s analyze each challenge in detail in the sections below.

Tip #1: Inadequate to near-to-perfect goal setting

Every sales rep must have a specific goal for the long-term and short-term to boost the business bottom line. In reality, what happens is the lack of goal setting or setting up unrealistic goals that are challenging to execute.

Goals should be realistic and should be discussed with the sales rep beforehand. Many factors like the number of customer meet-ups in a day, status updates, attendance, leaves, and reporting have to be analyzed ahead.

However, performing all the tasks manually consumes much time, and it might take a day or two to develop a realistic goal. This can affect the sales rep’s weekly productivity and impact overall sales goals and cycles.

How to set goals in a short period?

The best way to improve the goal-setting is by implementing field force automation solution. Mobile app-enabled automation software will simplify a sales manager’s woes in setting feasible goals.

The exact help the workforce to work on the goals, check the progress, and adhere to the deadlines to ensure that both the sales team and they are on the same track.

Setting up goals in the automation software is relatively simple, and you can easily do it without a sweat.

Another fantastic benefit of having field service software is the reward system. For every short-term goal achieved, every rep can be rewarded with a gift or incentive that boosts his confidence and morale to perform better for the upcoming weeks.

And, sales managers don’t have to spend much time assessing and rewarding the systems with the help of the software.

Tip #2: Defective to practical sales rep tasks and planning

Without a specific plan and action items, it is hard for any sales team to meet the deadlines.

With sales being the heart of the enterprise, having a defective plan for the week can quickly derail your entire sales process.

Defective task planning is primarily due to manual operations and status updates from sales reps. A sales manager can plan anything, but everything does not need to be executed by the representatives.

Starting from route planning to customer meetings setting up the right tasks for a day is vital to improving the customer service and business bottom line.

How do you improve defective task planning?

Leveraging the tools and technology is the best way to improve field sales efficiency. Setting up a realistic plan with a field sales tracker and mobile app is never difficult.

It takes only a few minutes for the sales reps to update their daily status about customer meetings and for managers to set up tasks and routes for the sales force.

The app simplifies both the challenges effortlessly. With the updates in hand, tracking the number of meetings and tasks closed is seamless.

It helps in long-term planning and task allocation. The field force tracker enabled with Google Maps can also help the reps identify alternate routes during natural calamities or avoid roads not destined for traveling.

Tip #3: Lackluster to well-defined preparation

Most often, the sales reps out for meeting customers don’t have the right tools to list their to-dos. With manual notebooks or pieces of paper, it is hard to track and stick to their plan.

Also, it is ubiquitous for humans to miss out on an essential piece of advice or suggestion from the management and customers. As they don’t have the right technology tool to capture customer feedback, satisfying them will be challenging.

How to improve lackluster planning?

On the other hand, if you have advanced field service management app with an inbuilt to-do-list feature, it is easy for your reps to prepare well in advance.

It won’t take much time to record the customer feedback/suggestions. Also, they can easily take notes using the mobile app, digitally authenticate customer signatures, etc.

With this approach, the sales reps can save time, won’t miss any details, and perform their best to their potential.

Tip #4: Inferior to the superior team handling

Handling a team of sales reps is always challenging for most sales managers. Without the right tool or system in place, managers have to deal with many papers to evaluate every sales rep’s performance and efficiency.

Every detail of the day’s updates from a sales rep must be studied before sitting with the representatives for a weekly meeting.

Inaccurate or missed data leads to chaos and creates disengagement between a rep and sales manager.

For sales managers, understanding the challenges of reps, day-to-day closures, and the progress of weekly planning is backbreaking.

How to improve inferior team handling?

A simple field force software powered by a mobile app can simplify the above challenge for your sales team.

The app helps the reps update every detail on the go, and the complete data is captured in the CRM without manual effort. The sales manager must process the data, discover the best rep of the week, and reward handsomely.

With this approach, handling the team becomes seamless and improves the operational efficiency of both the sales managers and reps.

Final thoughts

From the above discussion, it is evident that field service software can transform the way the sales crew works. By saving time and boosting your sales team’s operational efficiency, the business can experience skyrocketing outcomes with improved customer experience.

Is your organization facing the challenges above? Is your sales team performing to their potential? If not, it is high time to rethink your strategy.

Invest in the right automation software to improve your sales team’s efficiency.

Want to experience the power of our field force automation software? Start your free trial today.

July 25, 2022
Field Sales: Simple Solution to Engage and Drive Your Team
Of the many factors that decide a business’s success, employee productivity and efficiency are skyrocketing top of the list. Managing the field sales team and tracking their efficiency can be a headache.

Making the complete sales team (sales managers and field sales) focus on the tasks and work efficiently doesn’t rely only on the CEOs and CTOs. Giving them the right tools and technical assistance can help them overcome the challenges and deliver their best.

Before getting started, let’s dive deep into understanding the challenges and factors distracting or annoying the sales team.

Top challenges that disengage field force
1. Attendance/permission/leave approvals
2. Task allocation/collaboration
3. Route planning/task switching
4. Meeting customers at the right time
5. Reporting to managers
The same can happen to the heads of your sales as well. It doesn’t matter whether your field force or sales heads get annoyed/disengaged. The result remains the same, a drop in productivity.

Top challenges that disengage sales managers
1. Monitoring field sales executives away
2. Assigning routes, tasks
3. Following up for updates
4. Updating reports at the end of the day
5. Tracking efficiency of field sales executive
6. Reporting to management with data
What should businesses do to engage field sales and accelerate productivity?

Most field sales teams of different companies confront the above challenges. The ONE reason for all the challenges is either lack of complete automation or partial automation software implemented by the businesses.

Even today, many field sales executives report to the managers in the morning and start their day-to-day activities. The process takes some time, and the sales executives have only a few hours to meet the customers on time.

After completing the daily chores, they report to the sales managers in the evening to provide updates on the customer meetings.

On the other hand, the managers are clueless whether a sales representative has met the customer at the specific location until he updates/reports to the office. The process lacks transparency and results in a productivity loss for field sales executives and sales managers.

The total productivity loss from the sales team hits the business’s bottom line hard and leads to the de-branding of the company.

If your sales team faces the above challenges, you’re not alone. The above-shared challenges can be mitigated with the help of field service management software.

Top benefits of leveraging field sales app
- Transparency to the entire process
- Seamless route planning and task allocation
- Live-tracking app
- On-the-go reporting
- 100% accuracy/faster decision making
- Peace of mind
Let’s discuss each benefit in detail in the sections below.

6 Ways field service automation helps your sales team to boost productivity

Brings transparency to the sales cycle

A significant problem most sales team faces is the communication between field sales executives and sales managers. Often, sales managers don’t get any updates from the field sales team.

Similarly, the field sales team is let down by managers sometimes. Lack of transparency in the process hurts the sales performance and customer experience.

With field service management software in place, sales managers can quickly discover where the field sales executive is and can instantly communicate with sales managers regarding customer meetings.

Often the software comes up with a field sales app. This simplifies the communication and eliminates the communication block between field sales and sales teams, improving operations and efficiency.

Seamless route planning and task allocation

Assigning tasks and planning routes for field sales is often a headache for most sales heads. Even more challenging is tracking the field sales team when they are out. On the other hand, field sales face challenges if there is a problem in the route assigned to them.

This leads to a dilemma and slows down the sales cycle.

On the other hand, the field sales management software helps the sales team assign tasks and plan the routes without any discomfort. Even if there is a change in the route, the field sales team quickly updates the sales managers so that they can reengage another field sales person near the vicinity to get the meeting done.

This saves time and improves operational efficiency.

Live tracking of field sales activities

Tracking and monitoring the day-to-day activities of sales persons is a massive challenge for sales managers. Sometimes they don’t even know whether the scheduled appointment is made or missed until the field sales executive updates at the end of the day.

The lack of daily updates causes a delay in the sales cycle.

Sales managers can track every field sales person for customer meetings without using field sales automation software.

The live field sales tracking feature helps the sales heads to track the activities of the field sales team live. This gives them a quick update on the scheduled meeting progress.

On-the-go reporting

Updating the sales data from the field sales at the end of the day is one hell of a task for field sales managers and the field sales team. On the other hand, no matter how long it takes, field sales have to update their reports to the managers at the end of the day.

Both processes consume much time and bring down the sales cycle.

Field sales can use the on-the-go reporting feature of field service management software to update their activities from anywhere, at any time. Similarly, the sales manager doesn’t have to wait till the end of the day, saving their time.

The automation software for the field force simplifies the entire process, leading to faster sales cycles.

100% Accuracy and faster decision making

What if you have sales data updated daily, which is inaccurate? It doesn’t make any difference. Without automation, manufacturing errors are always possible, impacting the performance and efficiency of field sales activities and sales cycle.

Above all, with false data in hand, decision-making becomes an uphill task.

The field force automation software eliminates the possibility of errors in the data entered, which helps make faster and more formidable decisions. The accurate data depicts the exact picture of the sales activities and their impact on the business candidly.

Peace of mind

As most of the process is automated with the help of field sales software, the sales manager and field sales team don’t have to sweat out a lot when performing the day-to-day activities.

Both teams can complete the tasks well within the stipulated time, which gives much time to get a good night’s sleep and spend time with their families. This helps them to focus and deliver better.

Final thoughts

Providing the sales team with the right tools and technology is the best way to engage and delight them. With best-in-class field service management software, both teams can perform and deliver to their best.

Do you have the right tools for your sales team? Still, is relying on outdated systems disengaging your workforce and team’s performance?

It’s time to re-evaluate your strategy. The competition is brimming, and you must act fast before your competitor does.

Looking for suggestions or got queries about field sales improvement or software? We are all ears.
July 11, 2022
Top strategies to reduce Field Service Operation Costs
One of the paramount concerns for every field service organization is its high operational costs. In recent times, most organizations are striving to reduce them without compromising the quality of the services offered.

At the crux, to achieve a competitive position in the service industry, one needs to remain profitable while fulfilling customer expectations and keeping them satisfied.

To achieve this, it is essential to deep dive into these issues and address them. Let us look at some of the strategies that can be implemented to reduce the costs-
1. Improving the effectiveness of the technician’s first visit – A lot of the field technicians complain about the lack of proper information available to go in for the initial visit.
This leads to more follow-up trips, thereby increasing the cost of fuel expenses and resources. To prevent this, you should find out the customer’s issues along with their expectations in advance.

This way you can send the right technician along with the appropriate equipment to solve the issue in the first visit itself.

Further, a follow-up should be initiated with the customer to ensure that the task has been accomplished to the customer’s satisfaction thereby improving the trust and goodwill of your organization.
1. Optimizing the Inventory– It is never a good idea to overstock or understock inventory because holding too much inventory can eat away the profits whereas understocking leads to losing potential customers.
You need to strike the right balance between the two. To achieve this, you need to evaluate your business needs and requirements and find the right inventory management tools that provide the real-time status of the inventory.

These tools will aid in improving inventory management and cashflows, saving storage costs, and retaining customers.
1. Ensuring scheduling is up to date- Poor scheduling practices often lead to internal conflicts within the team, low productivity, and high field service operation costs.
To avoid such conflicts, you can employ a smart field service software that can help in assigning tasks based on the technician’s skills, in other words, putting the right person for the right job, tracking the location of the technicians on a real-time basis to improve efficiency, and optimizing the routes to save travel time and fuel costs.
1. Reducing costs of Training and Recruitment – Ideally, hiring new candidates and providing them with the necessary training involves a huge cost.
One of the effective ways to save such recruitment and training costsis by retaining the best talent. To do that, you should motivate the employees by recognizing them periodically.

This recognition should be data-driven and not be fuelled by any biases. By using the right software, you can build a performance evaluation profile for each technician based on the metrics such as the number of work orders assigned and finished in a day, type and current status of the task assigned, inspection, and validation of the task, etc.

You need to set optimal performance metrics to perform at the best productive level. The performance profile of each employee can be evaluated against these metrics to determine appropriate rewards and compensation.
1. Going Digital- About 50% of the field service organizations still operate using manual methods. Such methods are neither cost-effective nor efficient.
If you have hired people to perform tasks such as scheduling and planning the work, it is time to automate it. Using a filed sales management software tool allows you to gather important information such as invoices, billings, business contracts, attendance and leaves of the employees, etc leaving no room for errors.

This way the employees can now focus more on meaningful tasks. So, the first step is to identify the business processes that are redundant or dependent more on paper, examine the cost associated with people performing such tasks, and then plan to automate them in order to save on such expenditures.
1. Customer-centric support solutions: Customers often experience unnecessary wait times even for issues that can be resolved online.
Innovative solutions can be provided to handle such issues. You can implement AI-enabled Chatbots that can handle redundant customer queries.

Customer rating can be captured for all the AI-resolved issues. Technicians can further review the ratings and update the AI resolution mechanism on a regular basis.

A ticketing system can be used to report issues that are not resolved through AI support. All such issues reported by customers through tickets can be reviewed for online resolution by interacting with the customers.

Technicians can be assigned for field resolution only on a need and priority basis. In this manner, you can create a better customer-centric experience and also utilize the technician’s time more efficiently and effectively.

In a nutshell

Optimizing field service costs is imperative if you are running a field service organization. Digitizing and using relevant field service tools can help you achieve your goals while remaining at the top of your game.

The above-mentioned strategies are some of the ways that can help you cut down on costs, and focus on elevating customer satisfaction.
June 8, 2022
7 Time Management Strategies to get more Efficient & Productive during the day
It’s all about doing the right things in a shorter time. Perfect focus is like a workout for getting forward in your job, completing assignments effectively, or even getting a promotion with a salary raise. It may not be easy, but staying on track with the actions that assist your projects and clients is essential.

The superior you are at remaining focused and managing your time, the more you will be able to do and the easier it will be to leave work on time while still having time to live. Effective time management skills help you produce better outcomes at work, but they also benefit you outside of work. Your job will improve as more of you remain for the long term.

7 Time Management Strategies

It’s all about personal time management, which means taking control of your time instead of letting it dominate you. We have compiled a list of 7-time management ideas for Field Force Help for the initial start.
1. Start your day early
Ascertain what you want to do and what you definitely must complete as your first work-related action of the day. Then, before you read your email and begin responding to questions and resolving difficulties, start your day early and become focused on this goal. Setting a clear goal for your day may take five minutes, but it may save you hours of wasted time and effort.
1. Focus on high-value activities
Recognize the action that would have the biggest beneficial impact on your project, your team, and your customer if you dealt with it right now before you start something new.

This time management technique is implemented by successful businesses who recognize that there are both urgent and important things every day. Therefore, they try to find a fine balance and postpone the more monotonous tasks until later in the day.
1. Use a Planning Tool
Time management experts advocate adopting a customised planning tool to increase productivity. Personal planning tools include planners, calendars, phone applications, wall charts, index cards, pocket diaries & mobile sales apps.

Jotting down your to-do lists, schedules, and things to consider frees up your thoughts to concentrate on your most critical responsibilities. Auditory learners may prefer to dictate their views rather than speak. The key is to choose one planning tool that works for you and adhere to it.
1. Stop Procrastinating
If you have trouble remaining focused or procrastinating, making an external commitment to yourself may be beneficial. For example, plan a meeting in two days when you will show your work and by which time all of your actions must be accomplished. Completing the most disagreeable duties first thing in the morning and rewarding yourself with minor prizes once you’ve finished them is also helpful.
1. Learn to delegate
Take the time to interview and hire the greatest people so that you may have confidence in your team. Therefore, you may give some control and allocate responsibilities to individuals who work for you rather than attempting to accomplish everything yourself.
1. Apply the 80/20 rule
The Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule) states that 20% of activities produce 80% of results. The remaining 80% accounts for only 20% of the outcomes. It translates to successful field force managers understanding that their top objectives will generate the most significant outcomes. The remainder is delegated.

Similarly, rather than completing many low-value activities, focus on some high-value jobs. Remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your output originates from 20% of your inputs.
1. Assign time limits to tasks.
As per the psychological studies, Multitasking does not help save you any time. In many cases, the reverse is true. When switching from a different location, you might lose time and productivity. Multitasking regularly might make it harder to concentrate and sustain attention.

Setting time limits on tasks instead of working until they’re finished should be part of your planning approach. Also, close all doors demanding your attention to reduce distractions and get more work done!

Final Thoughts:

Take some time to assess the effectiveness of your time management tactics. If you make a determined effort to improve your time management abilities, you’ll discover that your days and tasks will go more smoothly!Organisations want to define, manage, and assess goals across the firm, not simply broad goals that only top-level employees know. Successful time management with a Field Sales Mobile App leads to increased personal satisfaction, more success at home, and a more fulfilling future for the company!
May 12, 2022
Sales Territory Planning and Management for Field Sales
Sales success depends on more than skill, persistence, or knowing how to start a conversation. These qualities matter, but the most important factor comes before meeting a client: your sales territory.

A well-structured sales territory plan improves productivity, ensures better client coverage, increases revenue, streamlines field sales tracking, and reduces costs. Poorly balanced territories or frequent reshuffling can hurt performance and weaken customer relationships.

Whether you are creating one from scratch or refining an existing strategy, understanding the importance of sales territory is essential for effective sales management.

What is a Sales Territory?

Definition of a Sales Territory

A sales territory is a specific area, industry, or set of accounts assigned to a salesperson or team. The person in charge works to win new customers and meet targets. How a territory is managed directly shapes sales results.

Why Sales Territories Matter?

How well your team understands their territory affects outcomes. Salespeople need to know their accounts and how their territory fits into the larger team strategy. A clear plan helps them work smarter and stay focused.

How it Affects Sales Performance?

Poorly defined territories or frequent changes slow teams and can harm client relationships. A well-organized sales territory management system ensures your team covers the right areas efficiently and meets client needs.

Advantages of Sales Territory
- Focuses your team on customers and areas that matter most.
- Assigns reps to territories where their skills can make the biggest impact.
- Encourages collaboration between teams for smoother operations.
- Matches the right reps with the right clients, improving experience.
- Builds long-term relationships with customers and the market, supporting growth.
Benefits of Sales Territory Planning

Strategic Targeting of Prospects

A structured sales territory plan allows your team to focus on the right prospects based on growth potential, industry, company size, and role. Tools like field assist apps simplify the process. Clear territory criteria give reps confidence to pitch clients who can generate real revenue.

Improved Insights

A data-driven approach identifies what works and what needs adjustment. Managers can analyze performance, define boundaries for each field sales territory, and ensure salespeople operate efficiently using territory management tools.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Assigning reps to accounts that match their skills and location improves client understanding. Consistent field sales territory planning allows long-term relationships, boosting loyalty and retention.

Proper sales territory planning aligns company goals with resources and client needs. It balances workloads, strengthens relationships, and improves long-term revenue.

Sales Territory Planning Best Practices

Focus on the Right Accounts

Know which accounts matter most. Evaluate territories, group accounts by priority, and plan how often to engage each client. A clear sales territory planning best practices approach keeps the team focused and confident.

Use Tools to Simplify Territory Management

Field service and sales management software streamline sales territory management. Reps get access to pipelines, sales targets, forecasts, and progress updates, freeing time for actual selling.

Balance Existing Clients with New Opportunities

Sales territory management best practices involve managing current accounts while seeking new opportunities. This grows the territory, strengthens client relationships, and drives long-term results.

How to Build a Successful Sales Territory Plan?

Repeating past practices won’t always deliver results. A structured approach to sales territory planning, targets, and incentives is essential.

Target Prospects Systematically

Understand your market and company. Stable markets reduce costs, increase revenue, and provide a strong foundation for defining effective field sales territories.

Evaluate Account Value

Assess each account’s value based on your products or services. This helps prioritize your sales territory planning efforts and focus on high-impact opportunities.

Assign the Right Reps to the Right Accounts

Match reps to accounts where they can deliver the most impact. Strategic assignment strengthens team performance and ensures excellent customer service.

Review and Finalize Your Plan

Review costs and potential returns for each territory. Consolidate the plan to balance workload, client growth, and revenue objectives. A strong build up method in sales territory separates efficient sales activity from wasted effort.

What’s Next?

With a field force automation system like Happisales, all your data is automatically gathered into easy-to-use reports. This helps develop and refine your sales territory strategy while freeing your team to focus on building stronger, long-term relationships.

Take control of your sales territories today. Try Happisales to boost productivity, improve client relationships, and grow revenue. Start your 14-day free trial now, no credit card required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Sales Territory Management?

Sales territory management is the process of dividing a market into segments and assigning them to sales reps. It balances workloads, improves coverage, and aligns sales efforts with business goals. Assignments depend on geography, account potential, and product lines.

2. How Should I Divide Sales Territories?

Consider customer location, account value, and market potential. Analyze buyer profiles and demographics. Assign territories based on team strengths and expertise to get the best results.

3. What Role Does Field Force Automation Play in Territory Management?

Field force automation handles tasks like route planning, order management, and real-time tracking. It reduces errors, provides insights, and supports better decision making.

4. How Often Should Sales Territories Be Reviewed?

Review sales territories at least once a year or when major market changes occur. Regular reviews keep territories aligned with goals, uncover new opportunities, and maintain balanced workloads.

5. What Are the Common Challenges in Sales Territory Management?

Challenges include balancing territories, managing quotas, and keeping compensation fair. Outdated systems and rigid processes make planning harder. Overcoming these issues requires careful planning, regular reviews, and modern tools.
April 22, 2022
Top 6 sales skills to master in 2022: Understand your buyer, craft meaningful value propositions and earn customer loyalty
Communication

Needless to say, effective communication is the lifeblood of a strong sales pitch. Your ultimate goal as a salesperson is to help customers realize that they actually wanted or needed your product all along.

To achieve such a feat, you need to be a master of communication. You should communicate the features and benefits that your product can offer to customers in a clear and convincing manner, and help them understand how it can improve their lives.

You also want your buyer to have a personal stake in the sale: using compelling narratives and weaving stories into your presentations is a fantastic way to achieve this purpose.

Study existing case studies thoroughly and leverage those stories to help your prospect imagine how they can use your product or service. Ensure you incorporate elements like character, conflict, context, and resolution to enrich your presentations.

Buyer Research

You can’t capture the attention of a buyer if you have no idea who they are, what they do, and what their business needs might be. The average human attention span today is 8 seconds – less than that of a goldfish.

Add to that the fact that people are being increasingly bombarded with a flurry of promotional messages on a daily basis via digital media, which makes it even harder to connect with prospective customers.

To really understand your prospect, you need to conduct extensive buyer research. Pore through your prospect’s company website and learn everything you can about what their business does.

Try to find insight into how their organization is performing. Familiarize yourself with its industry, so you can better understand its place in its competitive landscape. See if you can find out which solutions it is currently leveraging.

Do some research on the specific contact you’ll be speaking with. What’s their background like? What do they do at their company? Can you identify any interests they might have to help you build rapport?

Put together a holistic picture of your prospect and their business, and customize your conversations to tap into their feelings and needs. Make them feel that you really get them to spark their interest in your product or service and earn their trust.

Objection Handling

The reality of sales is not all sunshine and rainbows: most conversations aren’t going to go as planned and you will likely face rejection more often than you think. Your leads are bound to object and you need to know how to handle that to become a competent salesperson.

One way to deal with objections is to prepare for them in advance by coming up with responses to the most common ones. These include objections like:
- It is too expensive.
- How is it any different from your competitor’s offering?
- We don’t really need what you’re offering. Our current product works just fine.
While planning responses in advance can empower you to better manage objections, it isn’t a magic pill. Sometimes, you’ll have to think on your toes and concoct a response right on the spot. Although presence of mind comes with experience, it is important that you build this skill as early as possible.

Active Listening

Your buyers know when you’re really listening to them and when you’re simply waiting for your turn to speak. Too many salespeople focus on talking rather than listening, even though the latter is more crucial to making a sale.

Active listening is the ability to focus on what someone is saying and make them feel understood and valued. It is vital to build rapport with your customer.

When you’re actively listening, you’re giving your customer your undivided attention and trying to understand their point of view. This helps you understand their pain points better, and it is also a sign of respect.

Product Knowledge

You can’t sell a product unless you know what it is. If a customer catches you off guard with a question you don’t understand, they may question your knowledge or abilities—even worse, they may question the integrity of the product.

You should know your company’s products inside and out before having your first conversation with any prospect or customer. Take the time to thoroughly study your product or service. Know what makes it an exceptional option and where it might lag behind competitors. Know who stands to gain the most from it. Know what it costs and why it costs that much.

Once you know all this, you’re in a position to craft more meaningful value propositions that will strike a chord with the customer. Your sales efforts will naturally prove much more effective.

Account Management

Give sufficient attention to account management and maintain existing client relationships well. Many sales representatives are overtly focused on generating new leads and winning new clients at the cost of their existing ones.

By implementing regular and ongoing business reviews you can strengthen the overall customer relationship with your existing clients. New sales opportunities will inevitably crop up and prevent unexpected customer churn.

In a nutshell

These are just some of the skills you need to become a successful salesperson. The 6 foundational skills listed in this blog can help kickstart your journey towards sales mastery.

However, keep in mind that sales mastery is a long and arduous journey. It takes years, if not decades of self-improvement and hard work to become a veritable sales master. Be patient, put in the necessary effort, and seize opportunities to improve when you come across them.

If you’re looking for a robust field service management software to turbocharge your growth, you’ve come to the right place!

Happisales is a neat and elegant field force engagement platform that allows you to perform sales, collection, order, and service in a synchronized way. Using Happisales, you can log customer data effectively, avail push notifications based on tasks performed in the field, and track the journey of your field executives in real-time.

It is a progressive solution that automatically plans the best travel route based on the location of meetings and generates actionable customer insights, enabling your field reps to create meaningful customer experiences.

Designed to enhance collaboration between managers and field reps, Happisales allows managers to assess and maximize the performance of field executives. In addition, it simplifies attendance tracking as well as order management enabling you to optimize field force activities.

So, what are you waiting for? Talk to our experts and schedule a free demo today!
April 18, 2022
Affordable Tools for Field Sales Performance Management
Entrepreneurship is exciting, but only when it is profitable. So, it comes as no surprise that if you don’t have customers driving your sales, you won’t have much of a company, but even if you do have customers, it will be difficult if you don’t have capable field force automation tools to help you along the way. You need the right technology if you want to maximise the performance of your sales team.

Affordable & Necessary Tools that will enhance field sales performance:

Here is a list of tools that you can use to improve your field sales performance.
1. Communication/Conferencing tools
Prior to the emergence of digital marketing, we had to meet prospective customers physically, in person to present demos, but nowadays there are many ways you can do this, without having to travel or move out of your office. Such tools are a great solution for issues due to video/web conferencing. It can also double up as an efficient field force automation solution. Sales tools that feature easy-to-use video conferencing tools make the field service management software more authentic and efficient.
1. Navigating sales – emails, sales updates for customers and prospects
The best way to increase sales on the global market will be to use tools that aid in navigating the sales process. You can create a buzz about your services/products and enhance revenue when it is incorporated into the field force automation solution. You can use it to decide which products to promote in the market and what services to continue providing. Some features of such a tool include sending/receiving emails, getting personalised lead recommendations, real-time sales updates, among others.
1. Lead management
With this unique queue-based prioritization of prospects and leads, you can eliminate the need to manage contacts lists manually. The lead that is most likely to be converted is routed to the agent that is available immediately for quick processing and possible closing. By automating the lead management process, you can ensure your field sales agents interact with two to three times more prospects per day, thereby increasing the efficiency of the field force automation tool.
1. Determining opportunities
For proper management of your sales, you need field service management software. Some additional features may include email tracking, account scoring, opportunity scoring, predictive forecast, sales communications, and lead and accounting scoring.
1. Forecasting sales
By using sales forecasting software, companies can predict growth and gain deeper insights. When managers see trends in data, they can come up with effective strategies and take the appropriate steps to grow their business. The purpose of sales forecasting tools is to assist businesses in gaining better insight into their future through quantitative measures based on their past data. It evaluates historical business trends to estimate future sales and you can do this by incorporating this feature into the field force tracking solution.
1. Proposal writing tools
Using proposal writing tools, you can create some impressive sales proposals and differentiate yourself from companies that continue to make proposals in MS Word or other such tools. With proposal writing tools, you can create incredible proposals and store them in the cloud for access later and easy sharing, thus saving time. Some features that such tools can offer include electronic signatures, easy tracking of the sales pipeline, etc. Such features can be incorporated in a single tool or can be used separately with your field force management software. With these, you can improve how your business functions and make things highly efficient. One such tool is Happisales and you might want to schedule a demo today to check it out!
March 2, 2022
Mastering Sales Skills: A Practical Guide for Sales Professionals

When people hear sales skills, they often picture pushy salespeople or nonstop cold calls. That’s not what good sales is about. Strong sales skills are about connecting with people, understanding what they need, and helping them make choices that work for them.

Whether you are new to sales or have years of experience, improving your sales expertise skills can make a real difference in your results. Some small changes in how you communicate, listen, and manage your time can add up to better client relationships and more closed deals. Here are some of the best sales skills every sales professional should develop and ways to apply them in real situations.

Why mastering sales skills matters for a sales professional?

Success in any profession starts with mastering sales skills. The right approach can make a big difference in your results. Think back to when you were a kid trying to convince your parents to get you ice cream. You were practicing sales skills without even realizing it.

Everyone has some level of sales skills, but honing them intentionally sets top performers apart. To help you grow and succeed, here are 10 sales skills that can strengthen your abilities and improve your professional life.

10 Essential Sales Skills Every Professional Should Learn

Listen More Than You Talk

This seems simple, but many people overlook listening as a sales professional skill. Think about it. In a conversation, who do you remember more- the person who talked nonstop or the one who actually listened?

Active listening is a key part of strong sales skills. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Ask questions, nod, and pay attention to what the client says. For example, if a client mentions problems with delivery times, don’t jump straight into a product pitch. Take time to understand the issue. They will notice, and you can suggest a solution that really works for them.

Follow Up Thoughtfully

One of the best sales skills is following up in a way that feels natural. Following up isn’t pestering. It’s showing that you care.

After a client buys a product, you can send a quick message to see how it’s working for them. You might also share a tip that helps them use it better. Small, thoughtful follow-ups strengthen relationships and can lead to referrals. Clients remember when you take the time to check in.

Know When to Speak and When to Stay Silent

Timing matters in sales. I often tell my trainees that you don’t need to fill every silence. Let clients explain their needs first before sharing your ideas.

It’s like talking with friends over dinner. You listen to understand, not just to reply. If you interrupt or over-explain, you risk losing trust. Balancing listening and speaking is a quiet but important part of sales expertise skills.

Manage Your Time Wisely

Time management is an important sales professional skill. You only have so many hours in a day, so how you spend them matters.

Some sales reps spend hours manually entering data or updating spreadsheets that could be automated. Tools like field force automation can help by keeping client info organized and scheduling visits. This frees up time to focus on meeting clients, understanding their needs, and closing deals.

Focus on tasks that make a real impact rather than staying busy for the sake of it. Managing your time well improves productivity and helps you get better results.

Do Your Homework

You can’t sell something you don’t understand. Researching clients, competitors, and market trends is an important part of strong sales skills.

Before a meeting, take time to check the client’s website, recent news, or social media updates. Learn about their challenges and the trends in their industry. Being prepared helps you speak confidently and show that you understand their situation. It also allows you to offer solutions that actually make sense for them.

Small efforts in preparation can make a big difference in how clients perceive you and how effective your sales professional skills are.

Solve Problems, Don’t Just Sell

Customers are looking for solutions, not just products. Developing problem-solving as a sales expertise skill sets top performers apart.

If a client is frustrated with slow delivery, don’t just offer a faster service. Take time to understand the real issue. Is it a scheduling problem or a stock shortage? When you identify the root cause and offer the right solution, it shows you understand their world. Clients remember that approach and it strengthens trust.

Handle Objections Calmly

Objections are not a rejection. They are a chance to show your sales professional skills. When a client raises a concern, listen carefully and respond without getting defensive.

For example, if a client says your product is too expensive, you could say, “I hear you. Some of our clients felt the same at first, but they found the return on investment made it worthwhile.” Handling objections in this way builds trust and can turn a maybe into a yes.

Master the Art of Closing

Closing a deal does not have to feel pushy. One of the best sales skills is knowing when and how to ask for a commitment.

It is like inviting a friend to lunch. You would not nag them, but you would be clear about your plan and check if it works for them. In sales, you do the same. Be clear, confident, and considerate. Choose the right moment and make it simple for the client to say yes.

Embrace Technology

Technology can help you sharpen your sales expertise skills. Tools like field force automation let you track clients, schedule visits, and prioritize leads. When all your client information is in one place, you spend less time on spreadsheets and scattered notes. This gives you more time to focus on relationships and planning your approach . Getting comfortable with technology is now a key part of being an effective sales professional.

Keep Learning and Adapting

Sales is always evolving, and strong sales skills mean staying up to date with new strategies, tools, and customer insights. When a new app or tool makes field sales reporting easier, take time to try it out and see how it fits into your routine. The more you adjust and adapt, the sharper your sales professional skills become. Being flexible helps you handle challenges better, improve results, and make the most of your day in the field.

What’s Next?

Developing sales skills is not about memorizing scripts. It is about understanding people, solving problems, and using the right tools. Focusing on listening, research, time management, and technology like field force automation can improve both your results and your relationships. Think of sales as a craft. The more you practice, the better you become. Tools like Happisales help your team track, manage, and optimize each interaction, making daily work smoother and letting you apply your sales professional skills more effectively.

You can experience Happisales yourself with a 14-day free trial and see how your field team can perform at their best. Schedule your demo today and start transforming the way your team works.

Click here to Schedule your demo

January 10, 2022