Be honest – how overwhelmed or frustrated do you feel when searching through multiple platforms or threads to find critical information from past discussions? We communicate online in so many different ways these days; whether that be text messages, emails, social media chats -it’s easy to forget where the conversation happened. Slack for sales teams takes the guesswork out – and makes communicating a streamlined process. However, if you’re still on the fence about whether Slack is for your sales team, check out nine reasons why companies should be using slack for sales teams below.
Also read: How To Build A Sales Team From The Ground Up In 11 Steps
6 Reasons Why Companies Should Be Using Slack For Sales Teams
1. Save time
Every sales leader wants increased productivity. Therefore, the biggest reason sales teams turn to Slack is because traditional forms of remote communication, such as the dreaded email thread, are simply disorganised and overwhelming. More so, the problem is that crucial information gets lost by slipping through the cracks. For this reason, Slack is an invaluable tool to keep your internal communications tidy, and better yet? Your sales team’s response time will be faster because their inboxes are clean and ready to receive prospect emails.
2. Communication increase = less mistakes and missed opportunities
Not only can you pin important messages to the top of channels, but Slack is also easily searchable. So if you remember someone sharing how they answered an objection in the past, you can search your phone or computer to find it again.
3. Align sales and marketing teams
Making it easy for teams to discuss and collaborate is the first step in encouraging teamwork. With Slack everyone can share their tips and stories with relevant groups.
4. Answer client questions immediately
You might not have all the answers that a client needs, make getting them easier by using Slack. Instead of sending an email which might not be read for a while, you can send a message to a group of people or individuals to get a faster response.
5. Set reminders to important messages
Did one of your colleagues share something you need to take action on? With 2 clicks you can add a reminder to any message so you won’t forget to complete the task.
6. Stay motivated
Use different Slack channels to share wins, losses and words of encouragement. Whether sales reps are in the same office or geographically dispersed, they can all feel connected and share their ups and downs by using Slack.
How to use Slack channels for sales teams
Wouldn’t it be great if the whole sales team could share their wins, tips, recent objections and questions on a platform that could be accessed and searched from their computer or mobile phone? That’s where Slack comes in -by using Slack for sales teams, you can create multiple channels (groups) with different members in each to discuss, collaborate and share. Check out our recommendations for getting started on the platform below.
1. Configure your channels
When starting with Slack for sales teams, the first thing you’ll want to do is set up different channels, each serving a specific function. For example, you could create a channel for each major project you’re working on, each team and general tips. Examples of these channels are:
#salesmeeting
Use a sales meeting channel on Slack to keep track of what was discussed at the last meeting, what steps are required for the next one and what actionable takeaways should be implemented.
#projectname
Create separate channels for major projects which multiple team members work on. This allows everyone to easily share updates with each other.
#teamname
Create groups for different teams whether it’s regional sales teams, team leaders or outbound or inbound sales.
#saleswon
Ring the winners’ bell with announcements of closed sales to inspire the sales team on Slack.
#objections
Create a channel to share common objections and how to handle them.
#competitors
On this Slack channel, you can update your sales team members on what your competition is up to and what new products they are offering. This enables everyone to stay informed and ahead of the competition.
#feedback
When a customer gives feedback, this channel allows the product team to stay informed on the clients’ needs and improve quality when necessary.
#documents
Are team members always asking where they can find different files? Keep track of the most important documents in a documents channel.
These are just a few ideas for Slack channels for sales teams. The amount of channels is really up to you and what your teams are working on. Slack also provides private channels to enable private 1-on-1 discussions.
2. Integrate Slack With Your Existing Systems
While Slack is a great messaging platform, it also integrates nicely with many other tools making it even more valuable to sales teams.
Slack Integration With Salesforce
For teams using Salesforce, with this integration you will be able to send messages from Chatter to the Slack Channels that you have linked. Moreover, you can search an item on Salesforce and share it with your channels on Slack.
Slack Integration With Troops
If you’re using Salesforce and Slack this AI software is a great way to integrate everything. With Troops you can search and edit Salesforce Objects, get an alert if an Opportunity stage hasn’t changed in over 30 days, and be notified if a deal is scheduled to close soon among many more customisable alerts.
Slack Integration With Google Docs
Google Drive allows you to store documents in the cloud. Linking it to Slack allows you to create, share and access any document on Slack.
Slack With SOCO Academy
Online learning can sometimes feel lonely, by integrating Slack with our online sales training program SOCO Academy, sales teams can discuss the learning in their private channels and be notified when team members complete a lesson, pass a quiz or when someone hasn’t logged in for a while. It brings a whole new level of accountability as well as collaboration.
Are you frustrated with trying to maintain effective communication with your remote team?
The crisis has fundamentally changed the way people live, work and do business. With teams worldwide working from home now and the growing number of remote workers, many leaders and companies are scrambling to adapt to how their teams work from home and how managers can lead remotely.
Take the guesswork out and join our Managing Virtually program to gain the skills needed to avoid common pitfalls when managing remote teams, motivate your sales team and communicate effectively – all of the time.
