READ TIME – 5 MINUTES
Your sales division is one of, if not the biggest driver of new business at the company.
In order to bring new work on board and find new customers, you need your salespeople to get the business name out there.
It’s extremely effective – sales teams with high morale were found 21% more profitable and 17% more productive
Sound easy enough, right?
Well, it’s never just as easy as that.
Sales is a rewarding and lively, yet challenging career. It’s very easy for people to become demotivated.
This is something that many businesses will experience but not know how to combat.
Let AvA-V explain how to motivate a team to achieve the best sales results.
How To Motivate A Team
Communicate
Communication is essential in any role, but particularly in the day-to-day work of a salesperson.
With how much they talk on the phone, send emails and outreach to decision-makers, salespeople are some of the most active communicators in your workplace.
So it’s only fair that you, as their leader, give them the levels of internal communication they deserve.
One reason many sales teams lose motivation is that they’re often left to their own devices with little to no information as to what’s happening in the rest of the business.
Your sales team must be kept in the loop with what’s happening around the business, as their influence could help drive growth in other divisions.
One solution is to hold regular divisional meetings to share important news. These don’t have to be anything special – even just a quick 10-minute update in the morning that informs them of change will help with morale.
By letting them know what’s going on, they can alter their aims and try new approaches, rather than just being stuck in a reparative cycle.
Understand Their Aspiration
You can only motivate people you understand.
If you don’t understand what makes people tick, what drives them and what their aspirations are, you’ll struggle to get them jeered up to work.
So, one of the first steps you should take is to get to know your people.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk with them – it will show them that you care about them as people rather than just the work they do.
- Why did they start a career in sales?
- Are they happy with their current responsibilities?
- Is sales something they want to do long-term, or could they see themselves stepping into a new division within the business?
It’s surprising how often a new challenge in a different role can reignite someone’s motivation.
By taking the time to understand your people and engage in regular casual conversation with them, you stand a better chance of learning what motivates them and, therefore, getting more out of their efforts.
How To Motivate A Team
Set Goals and Targets
Every salesperson works differently.
Some Sales Reps like to receive a list of targets at the start of the week and slowly work their way through them. Others like to cherry-pick the decision-makers they believe are most likely to advance beyond their initial call.
To reflect the various approaches that different salespeople have, you must set achievable and realistic targets that reflect their styles.
Your people may work better on a daily or weekly schedule, depending on how they like to visualise the breakdown of their work. Give them this freedom and help them achieve the best possible results.
It can also be useful to have subtle reminders about business goals and what the sales team’s role in the business is.
If you want to know how to motivate a team, try hanging posters or whiteboards on the walls to help them remember what their role in the business is. Remind them how important they are and give them the validation they crave.
Reward and Incentivise
Everybody loves a reward, and salespeople are no different.
Being shown appreciation for going the extra mile helps increase motivation levels amongst the whole team.
For the person being rewarded, knowing they’ll be acknowledged for achieving similar or greater feet will motivate them because they’ll be reminded how fantastic the feeling was last time.
For other team members who see you appreciating your stuff, they’ll want to receive rewards themselves, creating an incentive for them to work harder and achieve more.
These rewards don’t have to be over-the-top, just little acknowledgements to show you’re thinking about them.
Something as small as a bar of chocolate, a bottle of wine or even a simple shoutout in the work group chat can go a long way to increasing morale. 70% of workers say sales motivation would improve if managers just said thank you more. Manners really can go a long way to improving results.
Understanding How To Motivate A Team
Motivation isn’t something where one size fits all.
Every Sales Rep is different, and what triggers their enthusiasm for work will differ in comparison to the person next to them.
As the Sales Team Leader, you need to know what makes them tick.
If you believe your sales team lacks the motivation needed to get their work done, try using the above techniques to engage them. Don’t be afraid to change your approach when getting to the root of the problem.