Addressing Recruiting, Retention, and Performance Issues
The Role of the Hybrid Sales Performance Advisor
Hybrid working is simply another way of describing flexible working arrangements.
Its prevalence has been accelerated by COVID-19.
The pandemic has presented an unprecedented opportunity for employers to re-examine their approach to flexible working. And for many, it's not a case of making a simple switch.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the introduction of hybrid working will require a significant culture shift. It will mean new ways of working, and that will require associated HR policies and practices to be put in place.
The hybrid working arrangements are also likely to put greater strains on managers who will have to manage and support employees and build team cohesion in a variety of ways. Managers, at least initially, will need additional training and support to effectively manage hybrid teams.
And, for some employers, it may be more complex, with different hybrid models/terms required for different parts of the organization, according to specific roles. Internal communication plans will need an overhaul, and there are also legal implications to consider.
However, organizations that choose not to support hybrid working are in danger of retention and recruitment problems in the future, especially if employees (existing and potential) come to expect it. Even in the short term, turning down employees' requests for flexible working is likely to have a detrimental impact on engagement and productivity.
That's not to say that hybrid working is right for every business or even every single employee. But employers must weigh up the pros and cons before putting the idea of flexible working arrangements to bed. If properly implemented and supported, it could be a very positive business move.
Even if a temporary measure, a hybrid working environment will help employers manage a return to the workplace safely in the light of COVID-19. Moving forwards, a common set-up for employees looks likely to be a minimum of two days per week in the office and working the remainder of their week at home.
And research shows that after the pandemic, most workers want to continue to work from home at least some of the time.
In this hybrid arrangement, the biggest hurdle is the ability to work cohesively within teams.
While it has been managed reasonably successfully during the pandemic using Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and a whole host of other video conferencing platforms, the truth is nothing quite replaces the natural bonding achieved when people work closely together.
Whether hybrid working is here to stay isn't yet quite clear. For most businesses, it will at the very least be a transition phase. Understanding how to support employees through that change will be critical for success. Burnout is much more common in those working mostly from home. A poll by Gallup found that fully remote workers are now experiencing more burnout than on-site workers.
For all the advantages of hybrid working, there are challenges, such as managing employee engagement and maintaining connections between managers and their teams. With such a fluid work environment, it is vital that employees’ concerns, worries, and thoughts are heard.
Many companies are transitioning sales leaders and their individual salespeople to have part-time or even full-time permanent remote home or work locations. This new remote hybrid procedure does not result in sales achievement like a historical sales territory alignment process does; A process that can effectively stimulate efficient productivity apart from the business headquarters’ location.
Instead, this new corporate plan has created an extremely difficult leadership process to recruit, manage and improve integrated team sales performance effectively with this ongoing corporate isolation policy.
To help CEO/Owners and sales leadership work together with their combined internal and remote sales teams and the sales teams to be involved in a beneficial associated environment is a current and necessary requirement for continued long-term sales success.
Best Problem Solution
How can these sales teams be managed, trained, and mentored daily with this new disconnected sales situation?
The best solution is to use a Hybrid Sales Performance Advisor to effectively solve these problems by providing the following actions for additional support and training to manage and restore the hybrid sales teams effectively.
Work with the CEO/Owner and/or VP of Sales and Sales Managers to identify and design an integrated sales action plan for the qualified sales needs of the company and each individual salesperson.
Arrange virtual coaching sessions to implement this coordinated sales action plan with the CEO/Owner and/or VP of Sales and Sales Managers to support the sales team group and 1-to-1 sales individuals with distance mentoring to build team cohesion in a variety of ways.
Monitor and report success results from this Hybrid Sales Performance Advisor integrated sales practice plan for the company leadership.
In time, the remote, isolated sales leaders and salespeople will be connected together to grow the business and increase sales, together with the effective Hybrid Sales Performance Advisor practice outcomes. This as opposed to falling apart and losing salespeople, clients, and business with the remote locations keeping them isolated from each other and their company.
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Hybrid Sales Performance Advisor
Ken Hall, CEO & President of KR HALL Consultants, Inc., is a driven, results-oriented, "hands-on" and business savvy senior-level sales executive with 30+ years of experience in building and managing sales operations, sales management, and sales teams. Ken has a background in aerospace & defense, entertainment & media, public relations, professional services, hospitality & leisure, real estate, financial services & banks, insurance, medical solutions & healthcare, freight transportation services, communications & cable, technology, and software.