Microfeedback—small pieces of feedback given to employees regularly—may be more helpful than formal performance reviews. By providing feedback in the moment, rather than waiting for an annual appraisal, sales leaders can provide ongoing coaching, support and bite-size lessons.

A blog post from Synergita, an employee management software tool, points out that nine in 10 managers are not satisfied with their company’s employee performance evaluation system. Instead of a traditional performance review, which induces sweaty palms in sales reps and requires substantial paperwork from sales managers, try switching to a system of microfeedback.

Doing so allows managers to create stronger relationships with their team members, address any issues when they arise and provide the right resources and programs when they are needed most.

If you want to learn how to incorporate microfeedback with your sales team, read on. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share guidance from the Synergita blog on how to make microfeedback part of your sales organization.

Check in regularly. Microfeedback doesn’t just involve sharing small nuggets of feedback a few times a year—it should occur frequently. This helps build a culture of trust and understanding. The Synergita blog recommends conducting one-on-one meetings once a week or twice a month. This frequency allows managers to identify any productivity gaps or other issues. If a sales rep needs extra help in a particular area, the manager can swiftly get them the most effective resources or training.

Give 360-degree feedback. Another way to give microfeedback to sales reps involves using a 360-degree process. Through this process, employees receive feedback from various people, including their boss, peers and sometimes clients. According to the Synergita blog, this feedback mechanism promotes collaboration among team members and can enhance the employee experience.

Be consistent with team meetings. One-on-one meetings are important for providing microfeedback, but team meetings are just as important. The Synergita post points out that regular team meetings can help managers understand what’s going on with their sales reps and address any problems before they lead to performance or productivity dips. If you don’t already have a regular cadence with team meetings, consider scheduling them according to an expected schedule. Getting the whole team together frequently gives you the most accurate data to make the best decisions and form data-driven people strategies, according to the post.

Instead of formal performance reviews that happen once a year, take a look at microfeedback instead. When you regularly share quick and actionable feedback, your sales reps benefit. They can make immediate adjustments rather than waiting an entire year to hear from you.

Microfeedback is also much easier to give. Instead of investing hours reflecting on an employee’s performance over the past and then putting those thoughts into meaningful feedback, you can make a difference on the spot.

You can be successful providing microfeedback to your sales team. Aim to create a culture of feedback by sharing it regularly, involving various stakeholders and getting the sales team together regularly.

Source: The Synergita blog. Synergita is a cloud-based employee performance management, development and engagement software.