Your sales people are the face of your business, which means you want to keep them happy, motivated and engaged. Sales people who perform exceptionally well are difficult to find, so when you have them, you want to keep them. However, even the happiest team members can become unmotivated at times. Salespeople oftentimes feel they are constantly under fire from having goals and quotas to meet, being the primary point of contact for potential and existing customers, and oftentimes being at the receiving end of complaints from disgruntled clients.
Still with all the demands they may be faced with, quality sales people want to succeed. Below is a list of tips to keep your sales people happy and motivated.
#1 Build Trust: There is perhaps nothing more important than staying in constant communication with your team. But, the communication can’t be shallow; it must be in-depth conversation whereas everyone is being entirely upfront, honest, and transparent. Trust plays a major role in motivation. Your sales people need to have confidence that you trust them and that they can trust you as well. Having this form of open communication will build trust and lay the groundwork for discussing goals and challenges.
#2 Build Relationships with Your Sales Team: It is difficult to motivate the members of your sales team without knowing and understanding their personalities. Each one will have their own style of selling and an effective manager will understand this is an important factor in knowing how to develop a strategy and set goals for all sales personnel.
For instance, some people thrive on public recognition of their accomplishments while others prefer a more personal approach. Also, in regards to other forms of feedback, you will have some members of your sales team who want to know the moment an issue arises, whereas others may prefer an email. Building relationships and finding a common ground for communication will enable problems to be readily addressed and praises to be acknowledged. So, when motivation falters, the problem can be resolved quickly.
#3 Set Goals: As you nurture the business relationship with your salespeople, you’ll know whether they are motivated by recognition, friendly competition with peers, cash, or a desire and commitment to positively impact the organization. Being challenged with goals is a key motivator. Always set realistic goals and create different types of objectives, ranging from quotas to goals that will help each person grow individually.
#4 Encourage Self-Care: Motivation can falter when your team is not taking time for self-care. Regardless of long days or quotas that need to be met, if stress is an issue, the drive to excel will lessen. If you notice a sales person not producing at his or her normal capacity, or less personable than normal, take time to find out what the issue is and if possible help the person get re-engaged. If it’s been a while since he or she enjoyed time off, encourage it. Having a healthy balance in life is essential to success, both personally, and professionally.
#5 Inspire Camaraderie: It is easy for salespeople to become isolated from other departments in the business because they are juggling so many tasks. However, department members should get together routinely to avoid finger pointing and miscommunication. Through being provided with the opportunity to openly discuss issues, goals, hurdles, etc., it ensures that everyone is aiming towards the same result and encourages everyone to work together. This builds relationships and mutual respect, which has the ability to quickly launch into new growth for the company.
#6 Make the Rewards Meaningful: Cash rewards, public recognition, and higher commissions are great incentives, but when you take it a step further, it makes it more personal; which can be a great inspiration. By making the rewards meaningful, you convey that you know the person as an individual. For instance, perhaps one of your sales people has three small kids and he and his spouse never go out due to lack of reliable childcare. A meaningful reward in this instance would be to provide childcare for them, or give them a weekend away.
On a group level, the reward may be treating everyone to a barbecue at your place, or going out to lunch in the middle of a workday. The point is, show that you appreciate them for more than their sales efforts; and recognize each of them as individuals whom you appreciate and respect for their hard work and dedication.
#7 Be Creative: Ask for input from your sales team as to what they’d like to see implemented. The results may take you by surprise and include anything from fun group outings, team building exercises, or additional vacation time.
Knowing how to motivate your team could result in more participation in the less fun tasks such as cold calling. When it is attached with a desired reward, some members will step up to the challenge without a second thought.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, when you have salespeople who want to succeed, they can be easily motivated by these simple suggestions. As you hire salespeople, evaluate them carefully to ensure they have the morals and values that fit your requirements. Anyone can lose motivation occasionally, but there are people who lack motivation altogether and regardless of the amount of effort or training you invest in him or her, you can’t change their personality. Select people that have the right personalities and invest in making them happy so they will be devoted to you long-term.
