5 Tips to Improve Your Industrial Sales Productivity

Just because an industrial sales rep clocks eight hours a day, it doesn't necessarily mean that he or she is 100 percent productive for all eight hours. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. workers are only productive for about two hours and 53 minutes per day. While low productivity hurts all companies, it's particularly detrimental for industrial sales companies. There are ways to improve sales productivity, however, including the following:

#1) Switch to the Cloud

Industrial Sales reps who currently store and access data locally should consider switching to the cloud. When data is stored locally, sales reps can only access it from the respective computer or device on which it's stored. On the other hand, storing data on the cloud allows industrial sales reps to access it from any internet-connected computer or device, regardless of their physical location.

SalesLeads is also in the cloud. You can access the Industrial Project Reports from your phone, tablet and laptop computer. You’ll receive notification every time a new identified industrial project is sent by our team. Now you can act on a project and begin to fill your sales funnel. Curious? You should be. Click here to get a sampling of our Industrial Project Reports. And, did you know you can also access our Target Account Intelligence the same way? Check it out now.

#2) Cut Back on Meetings

Meetings are an integral part of running a business, but they can also hinder a company's productivity. A study cited by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) found that executives spend more than 22 hours in meetings each week. If long meetings are hurting a B2B company's sales productivity, executives should consider holding fewer, shorter meetings.

#3) Use an Email Autoresponder

Nearly all fluid handling, packaging equipment or scrap metal sales companies use email to connect and communicate with their target audience. However, not all emails must be manually created and sent. Industrial sales reps can use an autoresponder to automatically send emails. If customers can purchase products or services from a company's website, for instance, sales reps can use an autoresponder to send customers a follow-up email containing their order details. It's a great way to save time, while acknowledging their purchase and subsequently increase B2B sales productivity.

#4) Don't Multitask

It may go against conventional wisdom, but multitasking usually backfires by hurting sales productivity. Industrial sales reps who are forced to juggle three or more tasks simultaneously, may struggle to complete them all within a reasonable amount of time. Rather than multitasking, sales reps should focus on a single task, after which they can move to the next task.

#5) Clean Up Data

All tech-savvy industrial sales companies use data to harvest and target leads. Unfortunately, many take the wrong approach by neglecting to clean up this data. If a fluid handling, packaging equipment or scrap metal company uses an outdated list consisting of duplicate leads, sales reps may contact the same prospect multiple times. Of course, this lowers the company's productivity while reducing the chance of a successful sale in the process. This problem is easily prevented by cleaning up the data on regular basis.

If you need a faster, better, more accurate database because your current database has challenges, consider using SalesLeads’ Target Account Intelligence system. It’s a great way to get value based information and act on it ASAP. Want to see it? Great! We’ll give you access when you open up a free account!