By Jamie Zananiri
When IdealTraits initially began having employees work remotely, our sales team was not expected to make the move out of the physical bullpen. The conventional wisdom was that it was vital to be in person in order to hear how other sales representatives were working on their pitches in real time and to cultivate a competitive environment to help each other hit their goals. Early Spring 2020 resulted in a need to find a way to make the sales environment work in the remote space.
Sales Representative Team Lead, Nolan, shared that another concern of his with working remotely was distractions- especially having the TV available. While he has since returned to working in the office, he was surprised to find that he could be more productive at home, and enjoyed having everything he needed conveniently available. He was able to maintain relationships with his fellow sales representatives and the rest of the IdealTraits team through video meetings, Google Chat, and phone calls. We have also established a virtual bullpen for our sales team to participate in to replicate that in-person atmosphere for all of our Sales team, regardless of their physical location.
Our Sales personalities aren’t limited to the sales team! Learning and Development Coordinator, Mara, is a Sales Leader. She wanted to move to a remote position, saying that she felt she’s able to be more productive working remotely. She worked remotely with a different company prior to IdealTraits, and prefers it to working in an office. When asked what she likes the most about working remotely, she said it has had a positive impact on how productive she is and her anxiety levels have decreased. As far as staying connected with her coworkers, she emphasises keeping lines of communication open, from chat to email to video meetings. One thing she thinks employers should consider before moving to remote positions? “If they’re able to be alone for long periods of time.”
Jazmyne, our Product Analyst and fellow Sales Leader, had initially wanted to move to a hybrid role. “Since I had a longer commute, I wanted to have the ability to work remote on days where road conditions weren’t the best.” One of her primary concerns with working fully remote was if she was going to be able to maintain her productivity, and if the work atmosphere was going to change. Like most of us, she found she was actually more productive when working from home than in the office. Her favorite thing about working remotely? Being able to attend to her dogs and take care of household chores during her breaks. Since covid restrictions have eased, Jazmyne has taken advantage of being able to work in office now and then, while primarily working from home. Her advice to employers considering remote work is “to try their best to still be involved with their team, try new things virtually and always be asking your team how they are dealing with the transition. Be there for them if they struggle to adjust.”
Sales Development Representative, Monica, was hired specifically for a remote role. Also a Sales Leader, she was intentionally seeking a remote role due to Covid. “At first I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to interact with the people in the company,” she shared, but was surprised at “how involved everyone is even with working remotely. The communication is great and I still feel involved with everyone.” Our daily off-topic water cooler virtual space, video meetings, chats, and calls all helped her feel connected to the team, regardless of their location.
Communication is key! While some personalities may thrive working totally isolated, it’s important to have ways to make your team feel connected- in the physical or virtual office space.