In the industry, we talk a lot about how to create the best environment for teleprospecting teams, from a day to day perspective, that will increase employee productivity. We’re constantly thinking of ways to incent our teams through more lucrative compensation plans, more robust training, better tools from a technology standpoint, etc. Something I have been thinking about lately is not only about how to increase performance through these methods, but also how to create the right physical environment that creates a high energy space for reps to come to work.
If you are in a sales or marketing role, odds are that at one point or another you were an outbounding rep, or you are/were managing a team that was making outbound dials. I know I have worked on teams where I was very motivated and ones where I wasn’t, solely because of the environment that I was surrounded by, as I’m sure you can relate to as well. Below are 10 ways that have worked for our organization in creating just the right amount of energy to help increase performance.
- Low cubical walls. It’s key for reps to talk to each other and to hear each other when they are talking with prospects. A ton of knowledge is passed this way and it’s a great way to build camaraderie.
- Large white board that tracks performance. Sure, we have CRM systems to track this information which is great, but why not incorporate a little competition the old school way? When I was on the phones, nothing got me going like seeing other reps walk up to the board when I didn’t have as many leads as they did – in a friendly way of course!
- Hang up “Fun” art décor. Spice up your décor by hanging some appropriate wall art like the picture above.
- Make splitters visible and accessible. You never know when a rep on your team will catch a prospect live – a great idea is to have a splitter hooked up to each of your rep’s phones so you can hop over to listen in when the timing is right to offer some support and follow up training afterwards.
- Connecting Cubes. Don’t leave anyone on their own in a corner cube without any surrounding reps. I experienced this once as a brand new rep and felt disconnected and it caused me to keep to myself more which is not what any Inside Sales manager should want.
- Create team videos and put them on your company’s Facebook page. Whether the current trend is zombies, the Harlem Shake (glad we didn’t go there!), or a topic based on a specific holiday, gather your team and create a fun video to post on Facebook and/or youtube. Creating the video is a nice break from pounding the phones all day.
- Purchase a bell to ring when a lead is passed and put it on your desk. While I currently no longer have this on my desk, writing this blog is inspiring me to make sure to pick one up during my next lunch break! It’s a great way for reps to celebrate the opportunities they uncover and to share all the details with you!
- Open your door. As a manager, you have a ton of conference calls and need to shut your door. It’s important to consciously make time to keep your door open throughout the day to encourage to the reps that you have an open door policy.
- Make contest results visible. If you are running weekly, monthly, or quarterly contests, use another white board to display results to keep the team motivated.
- YOU! Perhaps one of the most important “accessories” to any inside sales space is you – the leader. If you aren’t full of positive energy, it will rub off quickly on your team and you won’t get the results you are looking for. Be encouraging, open to new ideas, and positive, and you’ll be sure to have a successful team.
While a huge part of achieving team goals comes directly from the management of your reps and their ability to do the job well, it’s important to also think about the environment you’ve created. I’ve seen and heard of other great office set ups for inside teams like not having cubicles at all and not having offices for management either – what are some of the ways you create a high energy work space for your team?
