If your sales team isn't reaching its desired goals, you should conduct a thorough assessment of your team's structure, processes, skills, and motivation levels. Granted, some reasons for your team's underperformance may be obvious. However, others may be subtle or obscure, and will only become apparent after drilling down into the details. 

Conducting team evaluations, gathering feedback, and involving team members in problem-solving are all key to uncovering the root causes of underperformance, and thereafter implementing appropriate solutions. With proper planning, diligence, and perseverance, you will be able to clearly identify why your team isn't reaching sales goals, and then change course to help them succeed. 

Here are some of the common reasons why your sales reps may be having a problem:

1. Lack of Clear Goals and Targets

If your team members do not have well-defined sales goals or targets, they may be confused about where to concentrate their efforts. They will lack focus. They may expend a lot of energy towards targets they think are worthwhile — but those targets may be far different from the ones you had in mind. Setting clear goals for your team is essential if you want them to perform at their best. 

2. Inadequate Sales Training and Development

If team members lack the necessary skills, knowledge, or training to effectively sell your company's product or service, this will hinder their ability to consistently meet sales goals. For this reason, regular training sessions and ongoing skill development are crucial to keeping your team's selling techniques up to date. Such sessions should not only include updates on product features and use cases, but also training and refreshers in "soft skills" that will make your sales reps more effective in their interactions with customers. 

3. Insufficient Motivation and Accountability

A lack of motivation can cause a decline in performance and hinder your team's ability to meet sales targets. In some cases, this could be a symptom of a toxic culture — and if so, you should begin to combat that toxicity right away. 

In other situations, there may not be a system in place to hold team members accountable for their results. This can lead to complacency and reduced effort. If that is the case, you will need to take immediate steps to develop and implement such a system, while also coaching your team on the changes to expect.

4. Ineffective Sales Strategies and Processes

Poorly designed sales strategies, inefficient processes, and outdated techniques can limit your team's effectiveness at closing deals. As just one example, trying to close a sale over the phone may not be as effective with one prospect as doing so via email. Does your sales process allow for such flexibility? Regularly reviewing and optimizing sales strategies and processes is vital to ensure they match up with evolving market dynamics and customer needs.

5. Inadequate Lead Generation and Qualification

Generating leads is important for sustainable business success; but so is qualifying those leads already in your sales pipeline. If your team is not generating enough leads — or if the leads they are working with have not been properly qualified — it will be exceedingly difficult for them to consistently close deals and meet sales goals. You must ensure that your company has a strong lead generation system in place, along with effective lead qualification processes. Only then will you enjoy a steady flow of high-quality leads for your team to work with.

6. Lack of Collaboration and Communication

A lack of communication between your sales team and other departments (for instance, the marketing team) can hinder the overall sales process. Open communication, along with a collaborative team environment, is essential for your team members in both sales and sales-adjacent departments to share best practices, address challenges, and align their efforts towards common goals.

7. Market or Competitive Factors 

Every internal factor that has to do with your sales team may be working to your advantage, but if external factors come into play, your sales reps may still have trouble reaching their targets. For example, changes in current market conditions (such as an increase in product supply, or a decrease in demand) may make it more difficult for your team to convince and convert prospects like before. This is why it's important to continuously monitor market trends, stay updated on industry developments, and be willing to adjust your sales strategies to fit a shifting landscape.

Partner with Navaquest to Help Your Team Reach Their Sales Goals 

At the end of the day, there could be several reasons why your sales team is underperforming, such as: 

• Lack of clear goals 
• Inadequate training 
• Insufficient motivation 
• Ineffective processes 
• Poor communication 
• External factors 

The good news is that, with some effort and planning, each one of these factors can be mitigated or eliminated. Navaquest can help in this regard. Reach out to our team today to learn how we provide exceptional sales training and coaching to our clients, helping them to successfully reach their business goals.