We all suffer from a lack of motivation from time-to-time. It does not matter what your job role is, there comes a time whereby you do not feel like you have the same level of interest or that you are unable to attack it with the same vigor. The only trouble is that when it comes to your sales team, once their motivation starts to drop, it has an impact on your bottom line. This is why it is important that you are armed with a few strategies for improving your sales team’s level of motivation. Let’s take a look at some suggestions to help you get started.
Get creative – There is only one place to begin, and this is with getting as creative as possible. Your efforts are going to be effective if they go outside of the box. In terms of motivation, a lot of business owners assume that more money and bonuses are the only way to get their salespeople to do more. This is not the case. After all, rewards do not always have to be about money. Why not have a bit of fun with your team and find different ways to recognize them instead? For example, if your team excels, you could reward them by doing a task that they hate, for instance, cold calling or prospecting. Not only will this motivate them because they will get out of doing something they do not enjoy, but it has the benefit of endearing you to the sales team and showing them that you appreciate their efforts and recognize how difficult some of the work is that they do. Plus, this is a good way to set your business apart, and so it can assist with branding as well. After all, word quickly spreads when businesses have a different way of doing things and they treat their employees in a respectful way.
Create a culture of recognition – In addition to this, another way to push your team to achieve more is by simply recognising all of the hard work that they do. You may think you do not need to do this because their commission is enough for them to know they have done well. However, it is all about doing something that is not expected. A commission is expected, so for your salesmen and women to really feel recognised for the efforts put in, you need to acknowledge them and let them know that their hard work and achievements have not gone unnoticed.
Channel incentive programs – Another way for you to motivate your sales team is to make the most of the channel incentive programs that are available today. These programs are designed specifically so that you can motivate your sales team so that they go beyond their minimum efforts. Not only do you need to make sure you have a good incentive program that is structured well, but you also need to ensure that you use the right tools too. How you present your intentions to your sales staff is going to make all of the difference with regards to how successful your efforts are.
Ask people how they like to be managed – Everyone is different and so adapting in this regard can make a massive difference. Ask your direct reports some questions to find out more about their working style. What type of feedback do you prefer is one question you can ask? Others include: Do you prefer private praise and feedback or would you rather it was personal? What pace of interaction would you prefer?
Focus on the purpose – People who love their jobs and are passionate about their role tend to do better at them. This is why it is always a good idea to make sure that the focus remains on the sales team’s purpose. You need to make sure that everyone on the team is fully supportive of the company’s mission and completely engaged. You should begin by explaining the mission and making sure everyone understands it. Then, make people see how their efforts and the work that they do plays an integral part.
Set goals – If you are not setting goals, this is definitely where you are going wrong with regards to the motivation levels amongst your sales team. If you do not have objectives and aims in place, your salespeople are not going to know what constitutes success or what they need to aspire to. When choosing goals, you will need to make sure you select something achievable. Nothing de-motivates a team more than setting them up for failure by putting targets in place that simply cannot be met. Equally, don’t set your standards too low. There needs to be a balance: goals should be within reach but require effort.
As you can see, there are many different ways that you can motivate your sales team so that they start achieving more in the workplace. If you follow the suggestions that have been mentioned, you should immediately begin to notice a change in attitude with regards to your salespeople. Of course, not all of the suggestions mentioned above will apply to everyone and all working environments, but, hopefully, you will be able to find the solutions that work the best for your team.
