Top 10 Strategies to Motivate Your Sales Team
What is Motivation?
Motivation is a process we develop within ourselves that enables us to meet goals. It is our desire to make sales and satisfy customers. Our motivation levels are often affected by outside influences such as change, a difficult economy, customer rejection and relentless competition.
Regardless of outside influences, people can manage their own levels of motivation.
You are only as good as your last year’s performance.
Owners and managers expect salespeople to perform each and every year at high levels.
In sales, failures greatly outnumber successes.
For every 10 new sales calls, a great salesperson may only achieve success in one.
Persistent rejection is difficult to manage.
High failure rates can be discouraging even for seasoned salespeople. The passion and motivation that many have for sales is born out of success. few highly motivated salespeople are consistently below target
10 strategies great salespeople use to stay motivated
1. Make a plan – and stick to it
Everything starts with an objective. The first thing that should be done each year is to create an annual income/budget plan. Once that is done, the next is to figure out in great detail how this will be accomplished. Keeping it up, making adjustments at least monthly, will help to keep focused and motivated.
2. Build a disciplined personal selling process
From picking up and replying to emails to returning sales calls, great performance is a result of consistently doing the right things daily.
3. Focus on activities versus results
Encourage salespeople to task themselves with daily, weekly and monthly sales activities. These activities should correlate to the income and sales goals.
4. Participate in war stories
One of the greatest sources of motivation is “war stories”. Hearing and sharing the steps and processes used by other salespeople to win deals, and overcome challenges opens up the mind to new approaches and applications. Many great sales ideas come after sales meetings and from informal conversations that follow.
5. Align with the best
Winning is contagious. Spending time with great performers is a great source of motivation. Observing and learning what makes others great can lead to great clues on how to improve personal performance.
6. Stay in shape
Sales can be a grueling physical business. Pounding the pavement, dealing with stressful situations and constantly meeting KPIs, can wear even the best down. Eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep keep the salesperson alert and energetic.
7. Get outside the business
Working hard is important. However, taking time to learn and participate in activities outside the industry sustains motivation and helps work/life balance. Sometimes the greatest ideas come from sources completely remote from the daily business. Activities that include cultural events, sports, church, community and education can be a great source of personal motivation.
8. Eliminate negativity
Remove and separate from negative influences. Nothing can destroy motivation more than a negative environment. The power of positive thinking is indisputable.
9. Be a mentor
Helping others is a great source of self-motivation. Research tells us that losing oneself in the service of others can make us happy and motivated. Our business needs plenty of mentors.
10. Take short breaks
It is no use beating your head against the wall. Sometimes slowing down can help us see problems in a new light. Taking a short break and doing some quiet thinking can reinvigorate personal motivation. Connecting with those you trust and getting their perspective on an issue helps to balance it.
By Tracey Farrington, Eftpos Specialists Group Training Manager