“Leaders can (and should) recognise, support and reward the heroic salesperson in a variety of ways, including encouraging and rewarding risk-taking. Tolerate a reasonable level of failure, and support those who act on bold visions.”
– Andy Gole, President of Urgency Based Selling and Author of Innovate Now
The most significant difficulty, according to two-thirds of businesses, is keeping salespeople motivated. When asked about prospecting concerns, 66% of salespeople claimed they don’t commit enough time or effort.
As a sales leader, your performance hinges on your team’s success. So, every sales leader should look for ways to motivate and get the most of their team.
This blog will discuss the importance of motivation for sales teams and five ways you can boost motivation in your team.
Why Is Motivation Important?
Without employee motivation, businesses suffer from decreased productivity, lower output and are more likely to fall short of crucial objectives. Sales teams have the same fate if they lack motivation.
Low motivation wastes resources and often has repercussions for other employees, preventing the entire organisation from completing high-quality work or reaching key milestones. On the other hand, a motivated salesperson will be committed, driven, and take pride in their work. They are quick to complete tasks, quick to act, and motivated to perform well for themselves and the business. Having a core approach for motivating salespeople will help keep morale high and keep them in the game of selling, regardless of market conditions.
At all organisational levels, employee motivation is vital. Yet, motivation can deteriorate fast. The result is a reduction in revenue and company accomplishments. The moment employee motivation drops, revenue and company accomplishments could soon follow. As a sales leader, it is your responsibility to tackle this issue.
What to Expect from a Motivated Sales Team
Sales leaders always say we want a high performing sales team. But, performance goes beyond the strategy, process, culture and technology. Motivation is a crucial part of a high performing sales team. With communication in place and considering team members’ motivations, you can expect to reap the benefits.
With a motivated sales team, you can expect higher levels of productivity. A 2021 article by Smarp states that 69% of employees say they’s work harder if they are better appreciated. You can expect more innovation with your team, as your team will be more likely to improve offerings by recognising opportunities.
Absenteeism will also be lower when your sales team is motivated. Employees who are motivated are more satisfied with their jobs and have a clear goal in mind. These employees are less inclined to miss work without reason since they believe it will cause them to fall behind. Additionally, motivation will inevitably help with staff retention. Motivated employees are more likely to stay in their jobs because they can see the difference it makes. A recent blog, “Top Tips for Succession Planning in Sales“, expands on this topic.
5 Things to Consider to Motivate Your Sales Team
So, learning how to motivate a sales team can set a sales leader apart from other sales leaders who struggle to boost their team’s performance. Here are five things you should consider:
1. Get to know your team
You must understand each team member’s motivations as you cannot motivate a person you don’t understand. Using our data-driven approach to understanding team motivation will help you identify how motivated your team is right now. You will also know whether they are Altruistically, Extrinsically or Intrinsically motivated.
2. Give what they do a deeper meaning
According to research, people who find meaning in their work are more motivated and dedicated. Until you help salespeople understand their role in achieving your business goals, the company’s purpose and values are just words on a wall. Understanding your offerings’ social purpose and impact will provide the drive and passion for being successful in their role.
3. Celebrate the small wins along the way
When little achievements are recognised, morale soars. Small accomplishments could be advancing a suspect to a prospect, or closing out a stage of the sales process. More significant victories could have more elaborate celebrations for all the team.
4. Support them through the hard times
Salespeople face significant rejection, and they often work under immense pressure. Having proper support from their sales leader is crucial. You should:
- Acknowledge salespeople’s mistakes and setbacks and help them to avoid making similar mistakes in future sales interactions.
- Recognise difficulties but keep the conversation focused on both personal and company goals by using positive language and suggesting ways to move forward.
- Be aware of your concerns and obstacles, but continue taking calculated risks and encouraging your team to do the same.
5. Empower, enable, encourage
Coaching and training are essential factors in driving success in sales. Ask for feedback from your team about what areas they need more support in. Empower by seeking out which approaches and technologies can boost their sales skills. For instance, digital sales is growing and social selling is a crucial competency that salespeople will need to become proficient in. Gartner reports that 80% of B2B sales will take place on digital platforms by 2025. So, encouraging your team to develop this competency, and supporting them along the way with your own online profile, could set your team apart.
To support your team’s development, praise what the team have accomplished and showcase every win.
If you would like to learn more about Sales Competency Assessments or in a Digital Sales Transformation for your team, contact Sarah Downs at sarah@doqaru.com.