We’ve all seen an unmotivated sales team before. Perhaps you’ve even worked in one. If this is the case, then you’re well aware of just how important sales motivation is to a sales team and the wider company.
But don’t just take our word for it; here’s everything you need to know about why sales motivation is important and what steps you can take to boost it:
What Is Sales Motivation?
Salespeople are the backbone of every business. At the same time, sales can be a challenging position where it’s hard to stay motivated as you’re constantly being told to “do better.” Salespeople can quickly lose their mojo if they feel like nothing they do is ever good enough.
That’s why the goal of sales motivation is to transform the atmosphere of the sales department from a toxic one into a motivational one where salespeople want to do better and be better for themselves and the company.
Why Is Sales Motivation Important?
Sales motivation is more than a buzzword. It’s incredibly important for any brand looking to grow and expand.
- Sales Motivation Boosts Sales
Perhaps most obviously, sales motivation can help boost sales. When salespeople feel more motivated, they will successfully pitch and close more sales than they would if they felt burnt out and unappreciated.
- Sales Motivation Provides Direction to a Company
Sales motivation also goes beyond the sales department and can provide direction to the entire company. When the sales department performs well, the other departments take note and perform better to keep up with a growing department.
- Sales Motivation Builds a Strong Team Dynamic
Since sales motivation extends beyond the sales department, it can also build a strong team dynamic — both within the sales team and outside. Thanks to sales motivation, every employee is working toward a common goal.
- Sales Motivation Develops Employee Skill Sets
Sales motivation is also a great way to develop employee skill sets. As a result, employees feel more confident in their jobs, knowing that they have the skills and training to succeed in their position.
- Sales Motivation Promotes Employee Retention
Last but certainly not least, sales motivation can work wonders for your employee retention rates. When your salespeople and employees at large feel more motivated and driven to succeed, they’re more likely to stick around for the long run to see the results of their hard work.
How to Boost Sales Motivation?
Now that you’re convinced of the importance of sales motivation, here are five tips that you can implement into your own business to boost sales motivation and start reaping some of the benefits:
Tip 1: Show Your Appreciation
One of the best ways to boost sales motivation is simply showing your salespeople’s appreciation. For example, you can hold a special gathering to congratulate a salesperson on closing a huge sale or achieving a long-term sales goal. If public gatherings aren’t your thing, a nice hand-written card to show your appreciation can really go a long way toward boosting sales motivation.
Tip 2: Set Clear Goals…
While you can certainly appreciate achieving sales goals, it helps to set these goals first. It gives your salespeople something to work toward instead of just selling to no end. It may also help to visualize your goals with a sales tracker to make the prospect of achieving the goal that much more exciting.
Tip 3: …But Remain Flexible
At the same time, it’s important to remain flexible and realistic about your sales goals. Numbers aren’t everything, and your salespeople need to feel confident that they won’t be publicly berated or fired for not meeting a certain sales goal within a specific period. Goals should act as a guide, not as a threat.
Tip 4: Work With Your Team
The divide between management and the sales team can be stark. However, such a divide can negatively impact sales motivation if your salespeople don’t feel like you’re working hard right alongside them.
So instead of putting up walls between management and sales, break them down. Work with them instead of against them. Show them that you’re working just as hard as they are to achieve the same goals.
Tip 5: Give Them the Proper Tools
You also need to give your sales team the tools they need to succeed. For example, provide them with special training opportunities that they can use to sharpen their skills.
Provide them with the best technology to spend more of their time and effort on selling instead of doing administrative tasks.
Your sales team will feel confident and motivated to tackle their goals with the proper tools.
Tip 6: Provide Opportunity
However, it’s not enough to just provide your sales team with tools; you also need to provide them with the opportunity to meet their goals. For example, are your salespeople left to find their own leads, or are you working with other departments and companies to provide them with leads?
Tip 7: Don’t Waste Their Time
Salespeople love to do what they do best — which is sell. As a result, you shouldn’t waste their time with unnecessary meetings when they could be making sales instead.
So instead of those repetitive daily sales briefings, change it to a weekly or even a monthly format, so your salespeople have more time to work leads and achieve their goals.
Tip 8: Promote Balance
Sales can be an intense atmosphere that promotes a negative work-life balance. However, you need to step in to help your salespeople promote a positive work-life balance. Let them go out for lunch instead of eating at the office.
Encourage them to take their vacation days instead of banking them up. Establish more flexible leave programs so that they feel free to stay home with their sick kid, attend their kid’s recital, or go to the doctor during the workday.
Tip 9: Prioritize Independence
Sales can also be an authoritative and domineering atmosphere where salespeople are often at the mercy of the team lead or upper management. However, it’s important to prioritize independence within your sales team and give them the freedom to work how they want.
Avoid micromanaging your sales team and instead, let them complete their daily tasks in a way that works best for them.
Tip 10: Offer Incentives
Finally, you can offer incentives to boost sales motivation. Whenever the word “incentive” is used, people assume that you have to incorporate incredibly expensive incentives; however, that’s definitely not the case.
When it comes to incentives, it’s truly the thought that counts. For example, a great team incentive would be to throw a pizza party after hitting a team goal. A great individual incentive would be to offer gift cards to local restaurants after hitting personal goals.
You’ll find that whatever you spend on incentives, you’ll get back two or three times over thanks to increased sales motivation.
Final Thoughts on Sales Motivation
Taking a few simple steps to improve sales motivation can transform your sales team and overall company from underperforming to overperforming in no time at all.
If you’re looking for more tips on how to grow your business, check out some of the other articles posted on the blog. And as always, if you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out.
Sources:
Three Important Elements of Sales Motivation | Small Business Chron
How You Can Encourage Work-Life Balance for Employees | The Balance Careers
