Why Your Superpower Should Be Remote Sales Teams

The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to work from home and leave their teams behind. Although the phrase "digital nomad" has been a term for many years, only a few people worked from home. The conventional 9-5 office life has become the predominant way of life for decades, but many economists think that's about to change (queue remote sales teams).

Here are some statistics on remote work:

• 74% of professionals think remote work will become the norm
• 97% of employees don't want to return to the office full-time (this is staggering)
• Upwork suggests that 41.8% of the U.S. workforce continue to work remotely
• 18% of executives spend more time working remotely than in the office
• 18% of people around the world work remotely

It's fair to suggest that the world is undergoing a significant change. Economists predict a Great Resignation, where employees resign in their droves in the coming year because of the ongoing pandemic.

People work for their homes in record numbers, and commercial real estate owners sweat as workers in London, NYC, and Los Angeles continue to work from home successfully. Offices lay empty as the world gets used to remote work.

So, where does this leave sales teams?

Founders can still build excellent sales teams with remote sales teams. We believe that remote work can be very beneficial. It's all about the customers and the team. Moreover, we think that going remote offers companies many benefits. Of course, the office atmosphere is excellent, but hiring remote sales teams has unique benefits.

1 - You can hire people from anywhere

Many companies are seeing the vast benefits of hiring remote sales teams for all corners of the world. It allows companies to hire from a broader, more diverse pool of talent. For example, suppose you're based in New York City or London? You don't have to hire people from these cities anymore. Instead, you can hire people from anywhere in the world!

Do you remember those days where you struggled to fix a skill shortage? Those days are truly long gone. A company can now fix any skill shortage by hiring remotely. For example, countries like the Philippines have an excellent array of virtual assistants that can help any remote sales team with administrative tasks.

With that said, you don't even need to go overseas to hire talent. San Francisco has many of America's most outstanding tech minds, and you can hire them even if you base your company from Houston, Texas. So you really are opening your company up to the world and allowing remote sales teams with the most incredible skill set to enter your company. It's an enormous benefit.

2 - Coverage of multiple time zones

One of London's most significant benefits – and what arguably makes it the world's financial capital – is the location. People working in the technology sector or financial services are in the middle of the world's most important economies. London is central to the world’s most important time zones.

Companies ideally want to cover multiple time zones at once, and that's why London has more North American banks than New York City. Business isn't 9-5 anymore – especially not the technology sector, and companies need to cover all time zones. Hiring remote sales teams gives companies precisely that. You'll enjoy having workers covering your business needs when your team is fast-asleep.

Furthermore, if your company is tech-based – you'll need to target eastern markets. Countries like China, Japan, and South Korea are important technology exports for the U.S. In addition, developed economies such as Australia and New Zealand are key. You could hire remote sales teams in Sydney to handle business down-under. Either way, it's a significant benefit of hiring remote sales teams.

3 - You'll have empowered reps

When your sales teams don't feel tied to the office, they can feel empowered and in control of their own destiny. Giving them the freedom to enjoy their own freedom can increase performance and make them feel more satisfied in their work.

Research suggests that 97% of remote workers would recommend remote-based work to other employees. One of the biggest reasons people love remote work freedom is the time saved from commuting. The average U.S. metro commute was 117.7 minutes every single week. Of course, that's two hours of freedom lost every week. If the researchers conducted the study purely in NYC or London, that would be much higher.

The flexible work hours, lack of a uniform, and open schedule are leading to a sense of empowerment. That's why many people believe remote work isn't going away anytime soon. However, if your sales team needs a change or just feels burnt out, perhaps a stint of remote sales work can boost them.

4 - You can cut business costs

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought untold misery to the global economy. As a result, many companies are looking to cut costs. Unfortunately, many of them are doing this to survive. Hiring a remote sales team can cut thousands (if not millions) off your yearly wage bill.

Does that mean you pay remote workers less? Absolutely not. You can be smarter with the wages, and you'll save money in various ways.

Here are some six excellent ways you can cut costs by hiring remote sales teams:

1 - You can save money on visa costs

Companies that needed to hire specialized sales teams from overseas would have to fly them to the U.S. and pay for visa costs. However, the evolution of the internet and remote work means they could do the same job from their country, saving companies thousands of dollars in unwanted costs.

2 - Reduce office overheads

Hiring remote sales teams can emphatically reduce business overheads. Studies have shown that companies that employing remote teams can save $10,000 per employee every year in official rental costs alone. Therefore, you can scale back cleaning costs, furniture costs, bills, and office supplies. You'll also reduce H.R. costs from those in-person interviews required from hiring office-based workers.

3 - Save money on work-related costs

Did you know that hiring remote sales teams can also save you 8 hours of non-work-related work costs? Studies show that office-based employees often waste 8 hours per week. However, companies can bill remote workers by the hours worked using software tools. In turn, you'll save hours of wages and cut negative overheads when you hire remote sales teams.

4 - Increase productivity and get more value for money

Remote sales teams are more productive than office-based workers. Research suggests that remote employees work 1.4 days more per month compared to regular employees. Other research suggests remote workers are 77% more productive than regular employees. Companies traditionally believed that micro-managing employees would increase productivity. However, recent studies are showing otherwise.

5 - Remote work decreases turnover

Employee turnover? It's a real pain in the neck for all companies. Sales teams often deal with a high turnover because of the job's nature. However, studies show that hiring remote workers can lower employee turnover by 25%. As a result, that could save your company thousands of dollars in paperwork, training fees, and hassle when you hire remote sales teams.

6 - Remote work can cut costs on healthcare, on-site injures, and other costs

Hiring employees on a non-remote basis often means paying pension costs, healthcare costs, and various insurance costs. However, when you hire remotely, you'll have the benefit of reducing these costs and saving critical money on overheads. You'll also cut costs on tools, such as laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. Research suggests that 64% of workers already use their own tools, but companies still pay for 36% of employee tools.

Negatives of hiring remote workers

Remote work has many positives. However, that doesn't mean there aren't negatives to hiring remote sales teams. There's a reason many companies are concerned about remote sales teams becoming long-term, and here are some of those reasons.

• Loss of oversight and efficiency - Many companies – including tech companies – are not used to outsourcing their work to remote employees. As a result, it can cause efficiency and a lack of oversight. You can optimize effective communication tools to prevent this.

• Negative perceptions - There can be negative perceptions of remote sales teams. People believe remote workers are disconnected from their company, leading to issues in the sales team. But you can always include remote workers in virtual team meetings.

• Less teamwork - You will lose some teamwork when you hire remote workers. Although there are many excellent tools (including Slack) allowing remote employees to communicate in the slickest manner, it's challenging to keep the team spirit. Nonetheless, you can always bring the remote workers to online team events.

• Security issues - There are so many trust issues regarding remote sales teams. Companies are often concerned about security breaches, and it's something companies should prevent at all costs. With excellent security systems, you can avoid any security issues.

• When trust goes, it's hard to regain - When the trust between remote workers and employees goes, it's almost impossible to get it back. Remote workers must keep good relationships with the company, and building a solid understanding from the onset is the best way to do so.

Let Uvaro help you with remote work by filing your talent pipeline

Remote work is an inevitable part of the world's future. Uvaro offers online courses that teaches sales employees the soft skills required to perform at the absolute highest level in the technology industry.

We have a pool of talented remote workers and remote sales teams looking to fill the sales gaps in your company. Contact us today and find the right talent for your company regardless of your location!