How to Keep Your Sales Team Motivated
Aborted deals, failed presentations, customer resistance and losing a deal to a competitor are natural hazards of any sales job. Yet, positive energy is so essential to winning over the next customer that salespeople can’t afford to get the blues. The best sales people are self-motivated, but let’s face it: there are times when everyone needs encouragement from someone else in order to bounce back. Managers can keep their sales team motivated by using the following strategies from experts in the sales business.
1. Rewards System
“… sales professionals have a reputation for being prima donnas… That means a good sales leader has the opportunity to use this to their advantage.”
— Scott Edinger, head of the Edinger Consulting Group and co-author of the book “The Inspiring Leader: Unlocking the Secrets of How Extraordinary Leaders Motivate”
Confidence and the ability to perform — no, dazzle — in the clutch is a skill that salespeople share with prima donnas. Proud of their efforts, salespeople like to have recognition and the occasional spotlight for the achievement. This is why business leadership expert Scott Edinger advises to inspire salespeople with regular laurels through a rewards systems. The recognition should be related to performance and sales behaviors in order to serve as reinforcement. Don’t wait until the end of the year or a sales cycle; reward soon after an excellent sales feat, and repeat whenever warranted.
Besides money, bonuses can include:
- plaques
- trophies
- certificates
- written accolades in the company newsletter
- more freedom and control (flexible schedule, work from home)
- positive notes in a personnel file
- more personal days
- gifts
2. The Challenge of Competition
“If you are not taking care of your customer, you competitor will,”
– Bob Hooey, business motivational speaker.
The specter of a competitor closing in on a prospect can be an igniting factor for anyone. Fueling the natural fire that comes from competition, whether the competitor is on the same sales team or with another company, can be helpful sales team motivation. Offer quarterly or monthly sales contests designed around specific goals for which top performers can win prizes.
3. The Spirit of Rebellion
“Rebelliousness is what it takes to succeed.”
– Jeff Schmitt, sales & marketing expert
Jeff Schmitt, a long time sales and marketing professional who gives business advice through his Businessweek column, emphasizes that salespeople by nature are rebels. The best are trained to never give up, never listen to the word “no,” and to experiment with rules and tradition to find a breakthrough method that can cure a slump.
Promoting this attitude can be a helpful form of sales team motivation. A caveat is that it can often lead to rebellion in the office and against managers. This need not be a source of worry, Schmitt theorizes, all rebels need to be calmed down, is to be understood and heard. So, in addition to training staff to be brilliant experimentalists, managers should hold feedback sessions where workers can express frustration and regroup before returning to the field; this can reduce any rebel tension.
While money isn’t the prime sales team motivation, in addition to rewards, contests and displays of understanding, cash can still be a worthy incentive. Consider cash bonuses and commissions.
