Professionalism in a team environment requires more than commonly expected behaviours, etiquette and mannerisms. We heard from a few customers how our mobile sales app helps them deliver a consistently professional service because of greater transparency, better communication and increased collaboration.
What is a true professional?
We often hear someone being lauded as ‘a real professional’. In the sporting world – where everyone is at the top of their game and so can be considered professionals – it sounds something like, ‘So-and-so was one of the true professionals of the game’, whenever a well-respected player retires. What does it mean then, to be a true professional among other professionals?
It has something to do with the unique spirit in which such a player fulfilled their role and related to other people in that environment.
The same can be said of someone in any other field where they conduct themselves in a way that demonstrates the respect they have for their discipline, and the people they engage with. In other words, they make their profession an honourable one.
What does it look like in the sales industry?
In one sense, professionalism in the sales industry looks similar to the way it does in any other field. It’s a set of commonly expected behaviours, etiquette and mannerisms. Being on time, being an informed consultant or keeping one’s word, for instance, often rely on adopting the habits of punctuality, lifelong learning and promise-keeping.
But how does an entire sales team deliver a professional service or act like a true professional outfit?
When it comes to a team’s professionality, it depends on factors like the transparency that exists between colleagues, the quality of their communications, and their ability to collaborate and pursue common goals. These factors play a critical role in how they’re ultimately serving their customers.
As part of Skynamo’s commitment to change the sales conversation, we heard from a few of our customers how our mobile sales app helps them deliver a consistently professional service:
Improved in-house collaboration and coordination
BED Holdings recognised the sales app’s biggest benefit as the resulting collaboration within their sales team. Before using Skynamo, their reps functioned as order-takers, often focussing primarily on selling products they’ve had previous success with. Skynamo enabled them to take on a more consultative role when visiting customers. They now collect and consolidate additional product information, provided by their office-based team, during visits and are able to suggest and assist with selling a broader range of products.
“We’re a far more professional company and our customers have testified to this. Skynamo has helped all stakeholders within our organisation move to a more coordinated and collaborative way of working together,” tells Mike Giltrow, CEO of BED Holdings.
Reps are empowered to deliver a more professional service
With Skynamo, B2C Premium Drinks’ reps have access to more accurate and regularly updated customer and product information, enabling them to deliver services more in accordance with customer needs. It also helps them relate with customers on a more personal level.
‘It all starts with something small, like greeting a customer by name. It’s a matter of respect which is so crucial to relationships – and business is all about relationships,’ explains Derryn Maclear, Salesforce Development Manager at B2C.
Sorting out communication failures
In situations where SafeTop customers called to complain about reps never visiting or not visiting regularly enough, Skynamo helped managers gain clarity on the reality of the situation. Thanks to Skynamo’s GPS technology, which showed the dates, times and duration of the reps’ visits along with detailed visit notes on whom they visited, managers were able to show that their reps did in fact visit customers. In these instances, it turned out the customers who called were never there during visits and their colleagues never informed them about these visits.
‘We’ve been able to diagnose these problems better. Had it not been for Skynamo, we would’ve likely come across as very unprofessional,’ shares SafeTop’s Retail General Manager, Adele Norman.
Sales professionalism in a team environment starts with transparency and the ability to communicate effectively.
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Sources:
The Characteristics of Sales Professionalism