On October 18, 2015 the Indianapolis Colts ran one of the worst plays in NFL history as they lined their entire squad up on the right side of the field, leaving only a wide receiver to snap the ball and a defensive back to play quarterback. Here’s the clip.

 

 

A key takeaway here is that Coach Chuck Pagano and staff put the team in a position to fail with a play call like this. What on earth was the objective here?! If it was to be the laughing stock of the NFL, I would call it a great success.

Sales Managers can learn a lesson from Chuck’s folly. Give your team the tools, and guidance, to be successful out in the field. One way to do that, is with a sales call report on Outfield.

 

Sales Call Reports

Sales Call Reports, also known as forms or surveys, are documents that reps fill out while at a sales meetings. They’re perfect for gathering the information needed to move along sales to their next stage. Whether its gathering important information with a Needs Analysis Report or dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s with a Sale Confirmation form, your reps will benefit from having a standard operating procedure, as well has having easy access to all past forms they’ve filled out. Opportunities will be won and deals will be closed with a sales call report on Outfield.

Building Your Form

Building a good sales call report shouldn’t be a difficult task. If you’re having trouble building a call report, chances are your sales reps will also have problems completing the form. Here are some helpful tips and thoughts to keep in mind when crafting the perfect sales call report:

1. Keep Workflow in Mind

Keep your team’s workflow in mind when creating the questions. The form should naturally flow with your rep’s activities. Order the questions in a way that’s conducive to productivity.

2. Only Gather What You Need

Minimize wasted timed by asking them to only capture the important details. No need to ask them what location they are in or what time they arrived, Outfield already takes care of it!

3. Think Quantitative in Addition to Qualitative

Asking questions that will allow you to do further analytics is key to making important decisions regarding your sales staff. Instead of asking “List the products this customer qualifies for”, insert a checklist question that allows for standardized results and easy input. Don’t completely rule out text inputs, but recognize that you can gain better and sometimes more long term insights depending on the different question types.

Question Types

Outfield has a variety of question formats with which you can build your sales call report. You have the ability to ask text based, multiple choice, multi-select, checkbox, number field, signature questions, and more...

Text Based

Perfect for gathering qualitative data like “Who did you speak with?” or “Did the customer have any concerns?”

Multiple Choice

Choice Lists and Checklists allow you to ask questions like “What Products did you discuss?” or “What options does the customer qualify for?”

Number Fields

Number Fields help you quantify aspects of your visit like “How many people did you speak with?” or “What is the expected revenue from this account?”

Signatures

Signatures are perfect for having a customer confirm a deal or verify that they were serviced by an account manager.

 

Sales Call Report in a Real Life Scenario:

Doug is an Account Executive for a commercial audio/video company who services establishments such as Bars, Restaurants, and Concert venues. He visits with clients and determines what solution will fit their needs and generates a quote.

Doug arrives to the location and opens Outfield to a Needs Analysis Call Report. He first answers what type of location it is, Commercial, Residential, Non-Profit or Other. He checks to see if there is any outdoor seating. He then lists the square footage of the location to help him with his quotation. From there, he documents what type of options the customer would qualify for, based on the information gathered in his visit. Simple and to the point.

This type of form is perfect for early stage Needs Analysis. The information will forever be tied to this location so Doug can reference it later on in the sales cycle.

 

If Sales Call Reports aren’t part of your sales operations, you are missing out on valuable insights that could propel your team to countless sales and smashed quotas. Our goal, is to help you reach your goals! And having Outfield call reports in place is a step in the right direction.

Start crafting your report today, and experience the field, re-imagined!