Published 19 November 2015
I have been asked to write on the above mentioned topic for FPD’s new blog, which makes sense given that I am responsible for the commercial sales team. My initial knee jerk response was “Money…lots and lots of Money” but upon further reflection I have come to realise that:
That is a stupid answer
That is completely not true
People may actually read this and I should probably put in some effort
Part of me wishes the topic was more along the lines of “How to improve a sales team’s performance” it’s a far easier topic to write on as you can give lists , facts and phrases like “standard operating procedures” and “tracking tools” would be used (which is always a senior management pleaser). The success of your actions all comes down to numbers… if sales increase, you are doing something right… if they don’t… you aren’t.
Motivation unfortunately isn’t that simple it varies greatly from person to person and is constantly evolving, it is the inner or social stimulus that compels a person to act or accomplish something.
Getting back to the topic of discussion: How to motivate a sales team, since I have to start somewhere let’s start with:
Money
So for those out there that may not be aware of my current position, I very recently made the transition from being a senior sales rep to being a sales manager. I like many others saw this as the logical next step. It makes complete sense that you would take an effective sales rep and let them manage a team of other sales reps, but believe me when I saythat being a sales manager is far more complex. I had never really given any thought to what made me a successful sales person, and even worse I had made the assumption that all sales reps approached sales the same way I do. Turns out… they don’t… I quickly realized that if I remained in “super-rep mode” for too long, I would burn out in this new role.
It became clear that my capacity to lead my team to sales greatness was dependent on my ability to communicate with people who were different than me. Naturally, I turned to the one common language all sales reps speak — money.
After all when you can write your own paycheque why wouldn’t you write the biggest one possible?
Then it hit me. The truth is that money is only one of many ways we can inspire sales reps to make courageous decisions and to crush their targets and so far… it seems to be working.
Now lets get this out of the way… I am not a great manager… I also have not done everything on this list. Yet.
Targets
Realistic Targets! Over the years I maintain that I have always been the most effective sales person AFTER I reached my targets… the pressure is off… my confidence high… and this motivated me to push myself harder. Nothing demoralizes a sales person more than seemingly out of reach targets… and in terms of FPD, I whole heartedly believe that when we focus on money and not on helping make the world better we always seem to be at our worst. Set realistic targets for your sales team and let them taste success, it helps them to understand that they can do more.
Foster a team environment
I know what you are thinking “DUH!” of course a sales team should be a team! Its amazing just how much a team mindset can provide great results. For all the managers, HODs, cluster heads, and executives reading this ask yourself this… are you absolutely sure your people feel like a team or is everyone out there only concerned for themselves? Even if the nature of our business requires people to work individually there is value in having a shared goal beyond targets and profits. People need to feel that they are making a difference and sometimes its difficult for them to see just how important they are in the “bigger picture”. When people communicate, they can also begin to collaborate better. Senior salespeople can help junior salespeople. Sales conferences, group training, team meetings, team building events, and social gatherings can all help you foster a better team environment.
Switch from Negative to Positive Reinforcement.
Blink if you have ever wanted to physically strangle someone you work with… or been absolutely baffled by their actions… I have regretfully lost my temper more often that I care to admit with my sales team out of pure frustration (sorry guys). I think that it is far easier to scream, shout and reprimand people for their actions than to take the time to try and understand their actions.
And when a sales person makes less than 10 phone calls in a month… believe me the natural response is to want to kick them…not metaphorically… but actually run up and kick them under their backsides…
And over time you lose your temper and patience with people… so that even the smallest mistake annoys you to no end… even if you don’t vocalise this frustration, believe me they pick up on it.
So I made the conscience decision a while back to try my utmost to understand each individual persons reasons for doing or not doing certain things and wherever possible help them in a positive manner to grow or better themselves.
Coaching and training sales staff can result in significant improvement in results. People respond to individual feedback on performance. You may consider implementing one-on-one meetings with all of your salespeople, where you can give praise when it’s due and help struggling salespeople overcome challenges as well.
Help your team understand that just because a person fails it doesn’t make them a failure.
Creating some friendly competition,
Salespeople tend to be competitive by nature and motivated by winning. Internal contests can inspire great results and can also be a great way to foster team collaboration, too. Regular contests can make a big difference in the mindset and the morale of your sales team.
Give them the tools they need to succeed
Do you have outdated sales tools? Do your sales tracking, CRM, and costing tools help salespeople do their jobs or do they make life difficult or just add another step in their day? Upgrading to the sales right tools can help your staff become better at what they do. Your efforts of continuously improving processes in the company can translate to a salesperson being able to continuously improve his or her results.
One of the biggest challenges I faced in my new role was just getting a big picture of what the sales people had been doing. There was no central tracking tool for potential sales in progress, there was no collaborative CRM tool, reporting tools, P & L’s and course information can at times be challenging to obtain.
Hopefully we have managed to overcome most of the hurdles, but believe me when I say… if you don’t understand the full scope of what your team is doing … neither do they… and potential leads fall through the cracks.