Growing a sales team is often one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking steps for any business. Do it right, and you’ll see faster deals, more satisfied customers, and higher revenue. Rush into hiring more sales reps and you risk ballooning costs, clunky processes, and a team that will not be working for you for very long.
The most important step to take is to get your foundation right before taking on new team members. Without robust and planned systems, training, and structure in place, fresh hires can become frustrated, and get tired of waiting. The result? They’ll move onto some other opportunity where they may be able to hit the ground running.
The smarter approach is to get the most out of the team you already have before you bring in new faces. Tighten up your sales process, invest in skills training, lean on technology, and let your team know that there are opportunities available. This way, you can grow steadily and more sustainably instead of scrambling to make things work.
In this article, we’ll walk through six strategies that will help you scale your sales without burning through your budget.
1. Take a Hard Look at Your Sales Process
Before you even think about posting a new job ad, dig into how your sales process works in practice. Is it smooth and repeatable? Are there bottlenecks that slow everyone down and prevent them from closing deals?
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that more people equals more revenue. If your bring in more people without first assessing every facet of your sales process, you run the risk of losing revenue. Here’s what you need to do:
- Identify each stage of your sales cycle (prospecting, qualification, demo, closing, etc.).
- Dive into your CRM data and look for red flags like long follow-up times, drop-offs at specific stages, or leads that are not qualified properly.
- Map out your team’s sales workflow from first touch to close and see where deals are getting stuck.
- Continuously ask for feedback from your sales team; they know what’s working and what’s not.
2. Build a Better Onboarding Experience
If you do bring new reps, don’t just hand them a laptop and hope for the best. A strong, structured onboarding program can cut ramp-up time dramatically. Start by:
- Creating a clear 30-60-90-day plan for new hires.
- Run regular role-playing sessions to help reps practice tackling objections.
- Organize peer-to-peer workshops so newer reps can learn real-world tips from your top performers.
3. Invest in Ongoing Training
Training should not end after onboarding as the most successful sales teams are always upskilling. Set up a routine for regular learning; it may be short weekly workshops focused on new products or monthly day-long presentations on buyer psychology.
Encourage your team to share “wins” and successful strategies they’re using to close deals. That way, knowledge doesn’t just stay with top performers – it spreads throughout the entire sales team. Showing your new team that you are invested in their success will keep morale high and signals that you care about professional growth.
4. Leverage Technology
You don’t always need more people to get better results. In fact, sometimes all you need is better tools and more effective and efficient systems. Think about the technology you’re currently using and ask yourself:
- Are you making the most out of your CRM, automation, and analytics?
- Can you eliminate manual tasks that are too time consuming?
- Are there any tools you can use to improve prospecting?
- Is there any holes in your systems for performance tracking?
- What tools are you using for outreach?
- Are you paying for any systems that you’re not using?
Answering these questions should help you spot holes in your systems when it comes to leveraging technology.
5. Set Clear, Measurable Goals
Scaling a team means everyone needs to be moving in the same direction. Setting clear and tangible targets is the only way to help reps prioritize their activities and know where they are headed.
Break down big goals into smaller, more achievable targets. Instead of only focusing on closed deals, it’s a good idea to track things like the number of calls, demos booked, conversations had or proposals sent. Always celebrate milestone wins and troubleshoot as soon as you spot someone falling behind.
When reps know exactly what’s expected and how their efforts are measured, it will be easier for them to stay motivated and reach their targets.
6. Hire Strategically, Not Reactively
As tempting as it is to hire quickly when leads are pouring in, resist the urge to panic-hire. Instead, hire with intention and work to build out a team that will stay with you and not move onto the next opportunity as soon as it comes knocking.
Detail the skills, attitudes, and experience that drive success for your unique team and avoid anything that’s too generic when creating advertisements for hiring. Think about the type of people you’d like to hire and work backwards on how is best to find these individuals and get them to come on board.
Putting It All Together
There’s no single playbook for scaling a sales team but the above tips should give you a guide to work from. Follow this step-by-step and give each point some consideration and you should be on your way to scaling your sales team successfully, without blowing your budget.
If you’d like more advice on sales recruiting – whether it’s for commission only or door-to-door positions – the team here at HyperHired can help. We specialize in recruiting the right individuals and we’ve built some of the fastest-growing sales teams in the world. Get in touch with us to find out more.
