The Sales Rollercoaster: How to Manage the Ups and Downs of Lead Management [Infographic]

These days, especially with the advancements in artificial intelligence in business software, it’s easier than ever to accurately predict the flow of leads. However, every organization needs to be prepared for the inevitable ebb and flow ingrained in the process.

No matter how many people you have on your sales team, they all have to be ready for both of these situations. They need to be able to adapt quickly to maximize value for the organization depending upon the circumstances. It’s up to sales leaders to equip them well enough so they can succeed. 

Develop reliable hiring criteria

 

The periods when your pipeline overflows are not the best times to debate your analytical measures for hiring. These criteria should already be well established so you can put them to good use when you need to evaluate potential new hires in a compressed time frame.

It’s important to note that a growing lead pipeline does not always demand an increase in sales staff. Many times, it may be a better strategic move to maintain your pre-existing headcount and instead restructure their duties and support systems to make more efficient use of your resources.

Of course, there are situations when it makes sense to bring on one or more new salespeople to service your clients more effectively. In those cases, your goal should be to hire sales associates with a consistent skill set who can step in and contribute as soon as their training period is complete. Some leaders like to emphasize the importance of instinct when it comes to hiring, but there is obviously no way to measure this factor consistently.

What you can do is evaluate your potential hires according to the specific skills you are looking for, and assign quantitative values to these categories. You can then make quick decisions based on actual data that will yield new team members with proven skill sets.

Infographic by: www.salesforce.com