Salespeople have great combined power and energy when they gather in person and share successes, sales techniques, ideas, and information. At conferences we learn as much through conversations with peers in the hallways as we do in our sessions. But there’s no “hallway” on the World Wide Web. And there’s no water cooler around which virtual teams can gather to shoot the breeze, or to put their heads together and solve a problem.

Many companies have teams of people working together who have never been in the same room. And that’s too bad, because there’s nothing like getting the gang together.

A Virtual Reality

The number of telecommuters in the U.S. has increased by 800 percent in the past five years, according to Nemertes Research. Experts say that number will keep growing, which makes perfect sense. Cloud-based business applications and mobile devices make it easier than ever for employees to work from home, and having a remote workforce cuts operating expenses tremendously.  

However, the more virtual our workforces become, the more we lose the personal connectivity and spirit of teamwork that makes a company great. So it’s up to sales leaders to ensure reps have both the tools and the opportunities to communicate and collaborate with the people they’re working “alongside” every day.

There are many easy-to-use tools that help teams share information and ideas—from webcams and video conferencing that let dispersed team members meet “face-to-face,” to interactive applications that enable reps (and even clients) to collaborate within documents and ensure a common understanding of scope, timeline, outcomes, and metrics.

Make Time for Mingling

I have a virtual team, but I get everyone in the same room at least twice a year. We discuss what’s working, what’s not, and what’s new. Sometimes we even argue, and ultimately we plan our sales and marketing strategies for the coming months. 

We also have a casual holiday lunch each year, where we feast on burgers, sweet-potato fries, and milkshakes (and maybe even beer). It’s not fancy, but the cost of the meal is not what people appreciate. They appreciate the opportunity to spend time together. 

After receiving my holiday lunch invitation, one team member sent me the following note: “Thank you for doing this. Working with you is a genuine treat, and it’s the extra-mile stuff that makes [our team] feel like a family.”

I have worked with this person for more than six years. He used to come to my office once a month, but now he works virtually. He’s a millennial—a generation notorious for relying too heavily on technology for communication—but he still sees the value in getting together.

Whether we’re talking about our teams, or our clients and prospects, the lesson applies: Technology is great, but human beings are too social a species to rely solely on electronic communication. We need to spend time with other people—not just our computers. 

To learn more about how to motivate your salespeople, visit salesforce.com, or download the free e-book.