We all want the best from our inside sales and B2B telemarketing teams. They are, after all, on our front lines — often the first people to connect with our prospective customers.
Thus, achieving your goals starts with having a successful B2B telemarketing manager. You need someone who can anticipate issues before they become problems, can identify bottlenecks early, be proactive with solutions and know-how to encourage teams to perform at their peak.
Below I share some of the habits we help our managers to develop, which are the backbone of the 3D2B difference. I think all these habits are worthwhile developing and reinforcing in every inside sales and telemarketing manager. Read more.
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- Be observant: Watch for negative patterns in team or individual performance. The earlier you can spot an issue, the better your chances of preventing a problem and keeping sales goals on track. Plus, it provides opportunities to catch reps doing something right and reward the behavior.
- Be proactive: The successful B2B telemarketing manager acts quickly and decisively. Being proactive makes it easier to rectify problems. All you may need to do is bring the issue to a team or individual’s attention.
- Develop good hiring skills: Knowing how to hire the best people is both an art and science. It’s about knowing the right questions to ask, as well as being able to read people. One of the best hiring skills you can develop is to learn to identify the gaps in your existing team and pinpoint the skills you need to add to make a good team great.
- Take the onboarding process seriously: Once you’ve hired the right person, it’s up to you to prepare that person to succeed. You need to develop an onboarding process that takes into consideration both the job and personal needs of a new hire. In addition to providing training on products and services, familiarize new hires with the company, its culture, and the people.
- Be a leader… not a micromanager: No one likes having the boss breathing down their neck, second-guessing every move, or over-riding decisions. If you hire well, train thoroughly, and have a robust onboarding process, you can trust your sales and telemarketing reps to do a good job. Being a leader starts with the preparation you give your people.
- Give good feedback: Feedback—both negative and positive—is invaluable. It helps people fix their problems while it reinforces their best work. And whenever possible, turn negative feedback into a positive by making it a learning experience. If you share negative feedback publicly, don’t humiliate anyone. Teach and inspire people to do better.
- Motivate your people: Set goals for your reps. Whether quotas or objectives for new personal bests, make them challenging but attainable. Setting a high bar that’s realistic gives employees something to strive for.
- Measure performance: With all the analytics and metrics available today, you have the tools to provide specific feedback. Your sales and telemarketing teams will be more successful when they know EXACTLY what they need to fix to boost their performance. Using metrics improves decision-making for you and your reps.
- Be willing to get your hands dirty: Believe it or not, being willing to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand can make a world of difference. It’s one of the things that makes a true leader. Getting into the trenches when needed also proves that you both know the business and appreciate what goes into doing the job well.
- Bring consistency to the job: Consistency is critical. It enables you to pull together telemarketing teams that you can count on. Reps know what’s expected of them. And when you’ ve taken the time to set up a consistent process, chances are you’ ll increase efficiency.
- Be prepared: It doesn’t apply only to boy scouts. When you take the time to prepare your sales and telemarketing teams, they are ready for virtually everything required on the job. Rather than reciting a script—which we don’t believe in or use—reps can talk with prospects and field questions without panicking. Preparation is something a successful manager models as well as demands.
- Encourage balance: The best managers understand that there’s time for play and personal life as well as work. As such, they encourage employees to work hard and play hard and to find time to invest in career and personal development. One of the best ways to promote balance is to practice what you preach and keep a good work-life balance yourself.
- Communicate: In addition to providing feedback, maintain an open door policy. Make yourself accessible to both clients and employees. Talking can resolve a myriad of potential problems and misunderstandings.
- Rewards: Finally, I’ll leave you with my favorite success habit. Rewards. People may not all grow or achieve at the same level. But if everyone is striving to improve, you can’t go wrong. Whether you recognize achievement publicly or with a private word (there’s a place for both), you’re building a culture of success.
Develop managers who can take charge without micromanaging. These are the habits you want with your in-house sales force and what you should expect from professional outsourcing services that provide your telemarketing, inside sales, and other sales and marketing needs.
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