Last week out of home executive Jonathan Gravis talked about building a high performing out of home sales team.  Today he talks about setting expectations and compensation

In the realm of OOH sales, success requires a thoughtful strategy in establishing expectations and crafting compensation plans. You’ve assembled a team that embodies winning traits: a drive to secure impactful placements, a solutions-oriented mindset, and a relentless pursuit of exceeding client goals. These qualities form the foundation of a high-performing OOH sales team. Now, it’s your turn as the sales leader to build a system that propels them to achieve stellar results. Let’s delve into the art of setting expectations and crafting winning compensation plans specifically tailored to the OOH sales landscape.

A Proven Guide to Setting Expectations: The Path To Success

Through experience guiding OOH sales teams across multiple markets, I’ve developed a proven formula for setting expectations. Let’s dive into developing your Path To Success with these key steps:

1. Setting Expectations: Visionary Leadership Begin with a clear vision, defining success in terms of budget, activities, and culture. This vision serves as a roadmap, aligning the team toward exceeding OOH campaign goals, delivering outstanding customer service, and exceeding your OOH revenue budget.
2. KPIs for Success: Beyond Revenue Goals Identify critical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), extending beyond revenue. These can include face-to-face client meetings, the number of proposals created, and being a positive contributor to the team environment. Align KPIs with your OOH sales processes for a holistic view of success.
3. Team Engagement: Ownership and Commitment Engage your team in the process. Share your vision, seek feedback, and involve them in defining what OOH success looks like. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership and commitment.
4. Accountability and Reporting: Develop a transparent structure. Clearly define accountability measures and reporting mechanisms. Create a system to track progress on the vision’s components, including KPIs. Consider gamifying KPIs to boost team buy-in and add a fun element to the process.
5. Rollout Execution: Meticulously plan and execute the rollout of the “Path to Success.” Present the finalized plan in a team meeting, reiterate expectations, and ensure everyone is aligned with the collective vision.

Crafting Effective Compensation Plans: The Winning Formula

With experience spanning sales and sales management across 11 OOH companies, I’ve encountered many OOH compensation plans—some excellent, others subpar, and a few overly complex. Here, I share my insights on formulating a compelling and effective compensation plan specifically for OOH sales teams.

1. Alignment with Goals: Corporate and Local Harmony Design a plan that seamlessly aligns with both corporate and local sales management objectives. Ensure it incentivizes the team to contribute to securing high-impact locations and achieving overall company success.
2. Simplicity Rules: Easy to Understand, Easy to Manage Keep the compensation plan simple and easy to manage. Simplicity reduces confusion, allowing the team to focus on performance. Incorporate incentives for specific achievements. These could include a renewal incentive for securing the contract in a given time frame or achieving a specific renewal increase, a bounty for selling specific locations that have been historically unoccupied, or a spiff to incentivize digital sales growth.
3. Evaluation of Current State: Regularly evaluate your compensation plan, considering salary, commission structure, and bonus programs. Ensure your offerings remain competitive within the OOH industry. Conduct regular benchmarking to stay up-to-date with industry standards.

In conclusion, setting clear expectations and crafting effective compensation plans are the cornerstones of a high-performing OOH sales team.  By establishing a well-defined vision, fostering team engagement, aligning with corporate goals, and continuously evaluating your approach, you can cultivate a culture of success within your OOH sales team. Remember, a dynamic industry demands adaptability, so be prepared to refine your approach as needed.

Let’s Connect! Have questions or seeking deeper insights? Reach out to me at jgraviss12@gmail.com. I’m here to assist in sculpting your perfect OOH sales team!

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