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In managing a sales staff, are "weekly call reports" useful or a waste of time?
I'd like to hear from managers and salespeople on this topic.
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3 Answers
It depends, if you are using them as part of your coaching and business management, then weekly call reports can be useful. Where any reporting becomes a waste of time is when management doesn't read and use them (which covers about 80% of reporting 80% of the time. The frequency and amount of reporting will vary by the business needs, the tempo of the business, etc. For example, it's ridiculous to do weekly funnel reviews if your sales cycle is 12 months or longer--things don't change that fast to reveiw every opportunity every week. Match your reporting to the tempo of the business and make sure the reports are used.
If the reporting serves a strong business need, and the sales people understand that need, then weekly reporting can be useful. However, keep the reports as simple to develop as possible and provide the tools to help sales people do the reporting.
It's very helpful, on a periodic basis, to review all your reports and see if they are still useful. Often it's hard to know--managers always seem to want more reports, not fewer. Sometimes the best way to know if they are being used is to stop doing them. If no one complains, you have your answer.
As Dave has noted, it all depends on how you plan to use the information. If it is for coaching and keeping tabs on the team's sales pipeline, it can be a good thing. If you are just using it as a way to keep tabs on them, but doing nothing else, it is busy work and I say forget. Most salespeople, myself included, can't stand doing paperwork just to do paperwork. That's why CRM implementations often struggle. Sales folks need to know how you plan to use the information; otherwise why bother?
To follow up on what Dave & Barbara have written ... It is very frustrating if a sales person does not have clear direction on what to include in the report. It is demoralizing to hustle & work hard all week mining out new prospects and expanding your customer base only to face a seemingly mountain of reports that you’re uncertain of why you’re doing them in the first place.
I believe that clear reasons of why you’re doing them should be defined. Outlining what they are used for is important, all the while making those uses relevant for the salesperson and company. Sales people don’t need busy work. We need coaching and direction so that both the company & salesperson wins.
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