Any top Sales exec knows that good sales reps are a rare commodity and outstanding sales reps are few and far between. So what can you do to ensure that your sales force is high performing? Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Ask any successful Sales exec, and they will vouch for it.

Sales teams could be radically improved across any organization by putting in place a few straightforward principles. The following guiding principles aren’t easy to achieve and in no way do they substitute Edison’s formula, but if you use them consistently, you can reap substantial rewards.

Here they are:

1. Hiring the right sales rep

This process is often neglected, especially when it comes to crafting a thought-out and detailed job description. The clearer the recruitment process, the more likely are the chances that you will find the right person for the job. The interview process must be structured with two key elements: a formal interview questionnaire, and follow-up interviews. This process works to lead to structured and consistent questioning and ensures that an objective decision can be made.

2. Training

Introducing your sales rep to the ins-and-outs of your sales game isn’t the same thing as training them, but an induction is just as important. Work to help your sales reps understand the company and its culture as well as the expectations for the person and what their role should be. Simultaneously, train them so they are prepared to do their job. The most important thing you can do is be willing to invest in training, expect that your trainees take the process seriously, and insist that they deliver.

3. Results

Once you’ve trained your sales reps and have them on the ground, you should expect that they will be mostly concentrating on prospecting. Take a scientific approach. Establish solid metrics such as the number of new prospects or number of upcoming sales calls, and evaluate and score these activities from the initial employment phase so that you can further analyze and refine your sales reps’ selling processes.

4. Aligning with Business Targets

To ensure that your sales team aligns with your other business processes (Marketing, as a key example), provide an in-depth explanation of what your business targets are and how to achieve them. Make sure that you sales team doesn’t function in a vacuum. Explain to your sales reps where you see your business going and how you expect to get there, and they will align their goals with meeting those challenges.

5. Walk the Walk

How many times has it happened that you tried to teach something to someone properly only to get the results you didn’t expect? Many inexperienced sales execs make a mistake during sales training. Instead of just telling someone what needs to be done or even provide an explanation of how to do it, they forget one essential step – to demonstrate how it is done. The most effective sales reps in the world are effective for the reason that they’ve had their sales execs lead by example.

How effective is your sales force? Are you a beacon of light for your sales team?