
So how do you motivate your sales team?
Here’s my motivation checklist…how many of these questions can you answer YES to?
- Does each member of your sales team know how they fit into the company vision?
- Do you know the higher purpose and values of each member of your sales team?
- Are your sales targets realistic bearing in mind your industry’s current market conditions?
- Are your sales people empowered to make decisions within their realm of responsibility?
- Do you know the meta-programme preferences of each of your sales team?
Clearly the more you answered yes, the more motivated your sales team is likely to be.
I jotted down just a few of the many principles that I think are important when it comes to motivating a sales team. Of course, there’s many more but these ones stand out as creating greater levels of inner motivation!
How do they fit in?
Be sure you’ve explained how everyone fits into the company vision and how their contribution is creating value. Make it simple. No need for fancy charts!
What’s their higher purpose?
Each of your sales team needs to have identified their own higher purpose…in simple terms why are they doing what they are doing? And you need to know their purpose. Are they working towards a new or bigger car? A bigger house? An engagement ring? To retire early? Find out – and remind them regularly to keep that connection alive. Helping them to constantly make that link between their day job, their target and their higher purpose leads to higher levels of motivation.
Targets should be er…on target
Setting your targets too low will lead to boredom and lower levels of activity. Setting them too high and you ‘lose the team’…everyone knows they’re unachievable, so unconsciously they don’t try as hard.
I’m for achievable yet stretching targets which encourages your team to push a bit harder, keeps them engaged and stops complacency.
Do they have to ask you about everything?
If you hired them to do a good job…then trust them to do it!
Let them test their own strategies…scuffing their knees will develop their skills, confidence and self-belief.
Sure you might have some challenges along the way but you’ll end up with a pro-active, motivated and developed team – and you’ll be getting more time to focus on strategy!
How are they wired?
Heard of Meta-Programmes? These are the ‘internal programmes’ that cause us to think and behave in a particular way. Knowing their psychological preferences gives you the golden key to what each of them need to be happy, motivated and generating the sales you want!
Each of your team is different – so your approach needs to be too.
Get in touch if you want more info on Meta Programmes…or read Chapter 5 of my book iSell…Unlock your winning sales mindset
What about money?
Phew – I’ve run out of space and I haven’t even mentioned money. That’s deliberate though. Most meaningful research suggests money is only ever an effective motivator in the short term. And that’s borne out by my experience and conversations with sales directors and sales teams.
For now, work on getting these five right and you’ll have a happier, more motivated team…and more sales.
Until next time
Leigh 😊