Four tips for managing the growth of a commercial business

Managing a hypergrowing commercial business can be a challenge. But if you have the right sales managers in place and they're set up for success, you can ensure a smooth and positive transition for your customers and employees.

Hire the right salespeople and set them up for success

As your startup grows and revenue goals increase, you'll also need to upgrade your sales and sales managers, adding leadership, reporting, management, and operations skills.

Look for a team of sales professionals who are curious, easy to coach, and intelligent, who share your company values, and who are passionate about your overall mission. Your salespeople should be open to sharing feedback and ready to grow with your business.

Gone are the days of traditional salespeople forcing customers to buy. Today, effective salespeople are transparent, empathetic, and collaborative. They connect with and encourage potential customers, working to solve their problems and meet their needs.

A comprehensive salesperson onboarding process will also be critical in preparing your new hires for success. In addition to a general overview of the structure, culture, mission, and vision of your business, this process should include training sessions, workshops, mentoring, shadowing, and evaluations.

By helping your salespeople understand your business and product from top to bottom, you're giving them the confidence they need to get up and running.

Give your team the tools they need to get the job done

Does your team have everything they need to succeed? Have you identified the profile of your ideal customer? Are your sales materials and website up to date?

The quality of your team depends on the advice and resources you provide. You should invest the time needed to not only train your new sales team effectively, but also to provide them with the tools and resources they need to successfully attract new customers. In times of hypergrowth, you will need to increase your sales and marketing tools to support your new team.

The best sales teams are armed with the content they need to work for you. Whether printed or digital, this content will help your team turn a potential customer into a repeat customer. Be sure to update your website and social media regularly with the latest information to attract new buyers and engage loyal customers. Develop success stories, case studies, FAQs, FAQs, newsletters, price guides, contract templates, demos, and training videos.

If your customers give you good reviews, incorporate their testimonials into your sales pitch and other materials to show that your business is providing the type of service you promised.

“Personas” (customer profiles) are also essential for your salespeople to get results. The more you know who you want to sell to — the problems they need to solve and the questions they care about — the more your content will be tailored to these specific audiences, and the more likely your team is to attract a potential customer.

Track progress and celebrate successes

Take the time to assess what's working, what's not working, and why at different stages of the buyer journey. With your team, try to understand your sales pipeline — where things are going well and where they're getting stuck — so you can continuously improve your sales steps and processes, from the first lead to the deal and beyond.

Tracking your sales progress also helps you determine clear and realistic goals for your team, whether it's the number of leads generated, meetings held, or deals closed. Remember to reward your team (with money, time off, gifts) when they reach these goals or set new records. Good salespeople want to be recognized and they want to know that the business supports them.

Create a collaborative corporate culture

In times of hypergrowth, it is more important than ever to develop and maintain a collaborative, inclusive, and positive corporate culture. You'll want to create a healthy and happy environment where your team is motivated to stay and do their best.

Continuously share your mission and vision, with an emphasis on open communication, feedback, and encouragement. Give your team the knowledge and tools they need to reach their goals. Gather around them when they succeed and boost their morale when they face challenges.

It will take some work, but developing an effective and enthusiastic sales team to help your organization in times of hypergrowth is worth the investment.

If you need help evolving your sales organization, watch this short video.