5 Skills You NEED to be an Excellent Remote Worker

Today, remote working is on the increase, with predictions that 50% of workers will be doing their jobs remotely by 2020. In fact, there are many companies that are completely remote, which saves them money in renting office space and saves employees money on commuting. Many jobs can be done remotely, so if you’re interested in working from home or somewhere out of the office, Prestige Recruitment Group have listed 5 Skills You NEED to be an Excellent Remote Worker.

1)  Technological Skills

In order to stay in contact with other members of your team and your managers, you’re going to need an Internet connection. With that, you’re probably going to have to use a computer and phone. Therefore, it is essential that you learn all your systems before you start working remotely. Test out all of your software beforehand – will you be using GoToMeeting, Zoom or Skype for your video conferencing? Try them all, and choose the most reliable program that works for your company. Make sure you have thorough knowledge - you won’t be a productive employee if you constantly have to sort out simple IT issues. Therefore, make sure that you are able to use your phone and other devices with ease - it will make working remotely as smooth as possible.

2)  Communication Skills

When you work remotely, you can’t run over to a colleague’s desk to ask them questions whenever you need them. You therefore need to ensure that you are communicating effectively through other mediums such as email and the phone. It is vital that you can pick up the phone and be able to explain things efficiently and to the point, so that the person on the other side of the line understands what you are saying first time. You also need to nail your email etiquette (check out our other blog here). Ensure that you are clear and concise with your words in order to avoid confusion.

 

3)  Self-Motivated and Disciplined

Working remotely means that you won’t have your manager looking over your shoulder and constantly reminding you of what needs to be done for when. Because of this, it can be difficult to stay motivated outside of a professional workplace setting. You may not be distracted by colleagues and general office chit-chat, however you are likely to have distractions of your own. Without working in a professional workplace office, it can be easy to get distracted by a cat video on Facebook, and before you know it, you’ll be four hours deep, scrolling through your Facebook timeline. Therefore, in order to be an excellent remote worker, you need to learn to avoid distraction and motivate yourself with what needs doing.

4)  Time-Management Skills

Linking into our previous skill, it is also important that you have great time-management skills. When you clock into work at 9 every morning and leave everyday at 5, managing your time becomes very automatic. One of the biggest perks of working remotely is that you can use your time as you like – if you need to pop out on Wednesday lunch time, you can, as long as you work and make up for it. Therefore, in order to ensure that you get everything done that you need to, you need to manage your time efficiently and effectively so that everything is complete to it’s highest standard on time.

5)  Team Player

Being a team player is important when you work remotely, especially if other people on your team also work from home. Depending on the company or type of business you work for, there may be times when you have to conference call employees that work in different countries and continents. You may have to compromise what is considered normal working hours if you have to get up early, or work late in order to catch up with members of the team who work across the globe. Therefore, in order to be an excellent remote worker, you need to be able to put the teams needs and wants in front of what works for you – it’s all about compromise. 

Working remotely comes with many perks – you can literally work from anywhere and everywhere. However, it’s important to remember that you are still working even if you’re doing it from the comfort of your own bed. If you're interested in more information about remote working, check out '5 Reasons Why You Should Offer Employees The Opportunity To Work From Home.' 

5 Skills You NEED to be a Successful Sales Manager

There is no denying that sales managers are instrumental to the success of a sales organisation. In fact, without a great sales manager, it is unlikely that a sales team will be able to achieve the results that they need.

The most successful sales people are flaunt in conversation, confident and have outgoing personalities as they spend most of their time talking to other people. Prestige Recruitment Group understand that to be a great sales manager, it’s not just about personality and so we have listed five other skills that every successful sales manager needs.

1) Thorough Knowledge and Deep Understanding of the Consumer

In order to be a successful sales manager, you must have thorough knowledge and understanding of the consumer. Understanding the customer develops the basic foundation for any sales and a sales manager that doesn’t completely understand their buyer is not as efficient as they could be when developing a selling strategy.

A great sales manager won’t just know who’s buying their products and services, they will also know why and how often their consumer will need them. You should be able to identify the experience that the consumer wants to have and make sure that your whole team are able to exceed these expectations.

2) Excellent Communication Skills & Leading by Example

As a sales manager, you will be responsible for managing a whole team of salespeople. You need to ensure that every single one of them understands their goals and targets and the best way to achieve them. Great sales managers ensure that they give their full attention to what their team is saying, and take time to understand their perspective. Sales teams work better when their needs are met, and they fully understand what is expected of them. A great method of communicating on what should be done is to lead by example. As a great sales manager, nothing else builds credibility like someone who is involved within the whole process. If you communicate with your team and they can see that you’re getting involved, it also sets the standard for what your team should be doing.

You will also be expected to communicate effectively with customers. Fully understanding and reacting to what your customer is saying and their market pressures are imperative. This customer-driven responsiveness is essential to a great sales team; therefore, all-around great communication skills are vital to being a successful sales manager.

3) Continuous Coaching & Mentoring

A great sales manager understands that the coaching and mentoring of your sales team doesn’t stop after the initial training. You should be helping all your sales people to improve their performance and reach their true potential.

If performance issues go unchecked, sales and the morale of the team can be seriously damaged. It is down to you to have planned checkpoints for the team to address performance issues and develop a plan of action to correct the problem. A great sales manager should have great coaching skills to ensure that they not only deal with staff underperforming, but also reward those who are achieving well. This way, you will always keep your staff constantly engaged.

4) Critical Business Strategy and Organisation Skills

To be a successful sales manager, you need to critically understand the business as a whole. The sales environment demands that the best managers thoroughly understand complex business issues and help their salespeople to view their business strategically. Sales managers should be able to help their team make wise decisions, plan better and grow.

Also, you should be able to stay organised within your role as a sales manager as you will receive a lot of data and so a strong sales manager needs to be able to keep on top of everything. The best sales managers will use organisation as part of their business strategy, and be able to assess potential problems and overcome them.

5) Understanding Your Staff

Everyone is different; we all have different motivations, goals and personalities. A truly great sales manager understands that there is no ‘one path’ to success when it comes to the coaching, mentoring and the motivation of their sales staff. It is important to understand their key factors for growth and then tailor each individual's training to them. Looking at your staff and evaluating who needs what and when is one of the most valuable assets a sales manager can have.

Being a sales manager, your job can be testing and difficult at times, as you have to achieve goals and targets as a team. It is however, a very social career in that you communicate with different people all of the time. If you need to recruit for a sales manager or would like to start a career within the sales industry, please get in touch with us.