Getting to Know the Sales Force as the Key to Sales! Get to know its role in business

Have you ever heard of the term sales force? In the business world, a sales force is a team tasked with carrying out sales strategies so that products or services can reach customers. 

Without a sales team, a business can have difficulty achieving turnover targets. So, the sales force is an important element that helps build relationships with customers, understand market needs, and increase brand loyalty.

For those of you who want to develop your business, understanding how the sales force is the spearhead of sales is very important. Through the right strategy, this team can drive significant business growth, you know!

Benefits of Sales Force

So, you need to know the benefits of this sales force first, okay? Well, sales force has an important role in increasing business growth. Its existence is able to accelerate the company's development and increase sales. 

There are several main benefits that can be obtained from a sales force, including improving the quality of customer service, simplifying administrative processes in the sales marketing team.

Apart from that, the sales force is also useful for automating communication with customers, providing analysis-based sales reports, making it easy to monitor sales team KPIs, as well as updating customer profiles.

Key Factors in Sales Force Success

From its benefits, of course this sales force is very important in the business world. Well, to ensure the success of the sales force, there are several important elements that must be considered. 

The first is competent human resources. The sales team is the main asset in the company, so choosing workers who have skills and talents is very important. 

Skilled employees can ensure sales strategies run well and provide optimal results for the business. Apart from that, the use of technology is also an important factor. 

In the digital era like now, technology plays a big role in the business world, including in sales force management. Using software such as CRM can increase efficiency by automating administrative tasks. 

This way, the sales team can focus more on the main activity, namely selling products or services. The success of this sales force depends on individuals and integration between various teams within the company.

Collaboration between teams is very necessary when designing sales force strategies, such as with marketing, finance and administration teams. Good collaboration will increase overall work effectiveness. 

Apart from that, the use of integrated technology can also help reduce obstacles in operational processes. As a result, each team can work more efficiently and productively.

Budget Required for Sales Force

So that the sales force can run optimally, the company must allocate an appropriate budget. This cost calculation involves two main types of expenses, namely direct and indirect expenses. 

Direct expenses include fixed costs incurred within a certain period, such as salaries, commissions, bonuses, employee benefits, and payroll taxes. Apart from that, there are operational costs such as software, telephone services, and office rent that must also be taken into account. 

The average salary for a Sales Representative in Indonesia ranges from IDR 1,800,000 to IDR 21,600,000 per month, depending on workload and company policies.

Meanwhile, indirect expenses include costs outside of necessity, but are still important to support sales force productivity. This fee covers expenses for training and conferences.

In addition, costs for organizing exhibition events, as well as incentives and entertainment for sales personnel. Even though it is not routine, this expense is still necessary to ensure the sales team remains motivated and skilled.

Effective Tips in Sales Force Training

To support the optimization of the sales force in business, adequate training is also needed. Why? Because sales force training is an important aspect of building a successful sales force. 

To increase the effectiveness of training, companies need to design structured and intensive programs with technology support. Training can be divided into two main methods, namely group and individual training.

It is best if the training is implemented simultaneously, so that the results obtained are more optimal. In addition, work flows, processes and operational procedures need to be documented in a book, so that each team member has a reference. 

Case scenarios with various situations that might occur in the world of sales should also be created to train the team in facing challenges in the field. 

Training sessions should be conducted regularly using technology, to make it more efficient and easily accessible. Through implementing this strategy, companies can increase efficiency and achieve sales targets effectively.

The Role of the Sales Force in Business

So, every company has a different sales strategy, but the basic principles remain the same. What's that? Yes, it is true! create sustainable sales. 

After knowing the basic meaning, here are some of the main roles of the sales force team that you should know!

1. Increase Customer Loyalty

Well, first, but the team is responsible for maintaining good relationships with old customers, you know! This can be done through various strategies, such as providing promos, discounts, or just consistent communication.

Oh yes, the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) plays an important role in this, because it can store complete customer data. The impact, of course, is that the sales team will find it easier to follow-up and maintain interactions with customers.

2. Increase Income

Customer trust in a business greatly influences purchasing decisions. Therefore, the sales force must be able to guide customers through each stage in the sales funnel until they reach a final decision.

Therefore, using CRM allows the sales team to track the progress of prospects in each stage of the sales funnel, so that sales strategies can be adjusted more effectively.

3. Building Branding

Before deciding to buy, many potential customers will first look for information about a business. This is where the sales force plays a role in building brand awareness by contacting prospects, running promotional campaigns, and providing important information to potential customers.

One way is to use a CRM system that is integrated with WhatsApp. Automated messaging features in the WhatsApp Business API, such as message templates, can help convey general information and answer frequently asked questions by customers.

4. Sales Support

The sales support team has a role in helping the deal closing process, so that it runs faster and more efficiently. Some of the main tasks of sales support include researching potential customers, creating customer profiles, data analysis, and information search. 

So, through a CRM system, all customer data can be stored neatly, interactions can be recorded, and analysis can be carried out on one platform, so that the sales support team can work more effectively.

5. Provide Customer Service

The sales force also plays a role in ensuring customer needs are met and building good relationships with them. Of course, providing satisfactory service will increase customer loyalty.

As a result, this will certainly have a positive impact on business growth. By maintaining the loyalty of old customers, businesses can increase long-term revenue and reduce the costs of acquiring new customers.

6. Lead Development

The last one, another task of the sales force is to conduct research and build a network to reach potential customers. Lead generation is tasked with developing new customer prospects.

In addition, the task is to analyze whether the prospect has the potential to provide benefits to the company. Through proper research, businesses can of course target more relevant customers and increase sales.

Read Also: Example of Billing and Payment Invoices for Your Business

Types of Sales Force and Their Roles

So, earlier we discussed the role of the sales force, now you have to know the types! So, dIn the business world, there are several types of sales force that have their respective duties and functions. Come on, take a look, some of them are:

1. Partnership Sales Force

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Source: Liberian Partners

A partnership sales force is a team that works with a partnership system, usually for products that have wide distribution. 

For example, food and beverage companies work with large distributors to reach more customers.

2. Sales Force Mitraguna

Source: Quantzig

Mitraguna sales force is a team that handles various products from several brands in one distribution system. They typically sell products to many types of customers, from retail to wholesale.

3. Mortgage Sales Force

Source: Pluang

In the property industry, the KPR sales force is a team tasked with helping customers get home financing solutions. 

They must have negotiation skills and a deep understanding of the world of banking and mortgages.

4. Field vs. Field Sales Force Digital

Source: eLearning Industry

In the past, most salespeople worked in the field to meet customers directly. 

Now, with advances in technology, many companies rely on digital sales teams to reach customers via social media, email and other digital platforms.

Read Also: What is Digital Signage? These are the functions and benefits for your business

How to Become a Successful Sales Force?

If you are interested in becoming part of the sales force team, there are several skills you must master, including:

• Communication Skills: Convey information clearly and convince customers.
• Good Negotiations: Offer profitable solutions for customers and businesses.
• Product Understanding: Know the advantages of the product so that it is easier to sell it.
• Time Management: Arrange a schedule so that you can meet many customers in one day.
• Adaptation to Technology: Using digital tools to increase work effectiveness.

Conclusion

In essence, on the business world, building relationships with customers is the key to success. So, therefore, one of the important elements in this case is the sales force. 

In essence, the sales force is no longer just on sales, but also on building customer loyalty in a sustainable manner. Well, one example of successful CRM implementation is in the F&B industry. 

The implementation is like ESB Order which can help businesses manage orders more efficiently, while supporting business growth. It is important to combine sales force skills and utilization of CRM technology.

This is intended so that businesses can operate more effectively, understand customer needs better, and ultimately increase profitability. Come on, take advantage of technology from ESB to optimize your business!