As your customer base grows, so should your team. It’s important to have designated teams for every service you offer in order to keep your clients happy, but it’s also important to have teams to handle internal processes as well.
When you’re starting out, it’s normal that you’ll be able to handle the sales meetings yourself. But, as the company grows, you’ll notice that you have less and less time to deal with deals and have to refocus your attention on other aspects of business.
So, does that mean it’s time to hire a sales team? Let’s take a look at some signs that your company is definitely ready for the change!
What Does a Sales Team Do?
The way a sales team functions is that it takes care of all the activities that will lead to closing a deal. This includes many steps along the way, and these differ from business to business. We’re going to talk about the more general ones that each company has to go through.
- Prospecting
This process involves creating the ideal customer persona, or the ICP, and then finding the people who fit this category. Most commonly, prospecting is done via LinkedIn. Before reaching out to someone, the sales rep will determine whether they fit the ICP profile in terms of whether they need your product or service.
- Lead Qualification
Once the agent finds someone who appears to fit the ICP, then they need to look for smaller details to determine how likely they are to become a customer. This includes checking if the person has enough resources and decision-making power within their organization.
- Outreach
If the person fits both the broader and narrower criteria, then the rep will craft a message to appeal to them in hopes of booking a meeting. This message will ideally be personalized and explain all the benefits of partnering with your company.
- Follow-ups
After the initial message or meeting, the sales rep is tasked with staying in contact with the lead. This is called lead nurturing and is a way to help lead the prospect down your sales funnel.
- Closing the Deal
This is the trickiest part, and so many CEOs prefer to handle it themselves. However, if your attention is required elsewhere, your sales team is there to take over.
When to Hire a Sales Team?
The most obvious sign is that you simply don’t have time to handle sales on your own anymore. This is a natural progression in the business world and a sign that everything is going right.
Here are some other telltale signs that it’s time to expand your staff.
You have enough clients.
Simply put, if you have so many clients that you require a few people to manage them, you should hire that team! Having this many clients also usually means that you have enough resources to fund this endeavor.
Some sources suggest that having ten clients is the cutoff for when it’s time to hire a sales team. However, this isn’t a rule. Sometimes, these clients don’t require that much attention and don’t warrant an agent to keep in touch. On the other hand, your business may be growing so rapidly that, based on your leads, you’ll know you need agents before you hit ten deals.
The demand is high enough.
If your product or service fills a real gap in the market, you can expect to see a lot of clients coming in. This is a sign that you’ll need a sales team to keep up with your growth. By tracking the rate at which leads convert, you’ll be able to gauge how quickly the customer base will grow and react and onboard sales reps on time.
You’ve worked out the internal processes.
There’s no point in hiring new team members if your business can’t handle that change. But, if you’ve been in the business long enough that all internal processes are set, then that’s a sign that your company is ready for some fresh faces.
Other than specific sales processes, you’ll also have to have an onboarding strategy. This includes an orientation meeting as well as some education. The new employees will need a mentor to show them how your company operates and to introduce them to the software solutions you’re using.
Sales Team Alternatives
If you’re reading this and realizing that you fit the criteria partially and are still unsure of whether it’s time to hire a sales team, we’ve got the right solution for you!
In some cases, it is possible that your business may not need a full-time sales team. But if you have other things to focus on and can’t do sales all by yourself, is there a middle ground?
Yes! There is the option of hiring a full-service sales team part-time. This means that you get a tailored team consisting of as many members as you need with the expertise that fits you perfectly, but they won’t be working 40-hour weeks. Instead, they’re there only for the time you need them.
NextPilots offers just that – a fully flexible sales team at your disposal for what and when you need us! Our experts can help not only with sales but also with lead generation, sales funnel creation, and outreach.
Get in touch today and get the most out of an experienced sales team!