It goes without saying that sales can be a tough gig. Approaching people, pitching a product, facing rejection time and again can certainly be disheartening. And yet in the face of disappointment, a salesperson needs to be able to pick themselves up and persevere. Needless to say, motivation is critical. Knowing how to fire up your sales team can most definitely mean the difference between a productive season and a sluggish one.
So how do you do this…How do you rally your sales force and inspire them to not only keep on doing what they've been doing but perhaps, do it even more effectively? This is a difficult job for any company owner or sales manager. But there are a few key things you can do, strategies and techniques you might try that will help motivate your team and reinvigorate their passion for their job.
If you do start noticing an overall negative vibe begin to set in, or if you happen to be seeing that employees are regularly missing their targets and sales do indeed start to slump, then without question you have to manage the situation. Get on top of it before you lose morale altogether. Below are six ways we've found that you can use to help your salespeople get fired up.
1. Recognize and Reward
It may seem fairly simple and straightforward logic, but you must make sure and do this daily. Rather than constantly criticize and point out errors, you are going to get way further with your team members through praise. People like to be told they're doing a good job; they want to be recognized when they reach those goals or achieve those milestone sales moments. This way when you do try and correct them or offer suggestions, they are apt to be more susceptible to what you have to say.
2. Have Some Fun
As we noted, sales can be stressful. And so, this is why fun experiences and outings do make a difference when it comes to overall morale. Team building events and corporate outings have grown in popularity over the past decade or so. Employers are discovering that engaging in a fun activity as an entire company does a lot by way of strengthening bonds, encouraging productivity, and yes, helping to fire up those sales members.
3. Know Them as Individuals
Motivation is an individual experience; in other words, what motivates one may not motivate all. Knowing what drives each member of your sales force will become highly important as you develop strategies to foster their growth and inspire them to want to do better. The more you can tailor your motivational strategies to each person who works for you, the more effective they will ultimately be.
4. Redirect Focus
If they are experiencing a low morale moment, then perhaps it's time to change up the focus. So maybe they aren't hitting the overall targets. Maybe the big picture accomplishments aren't materializing as you'd hoped. This is when you redirect and instead have them focused on smaller goals, weekly or perhaps even daily ones. Things that are more achievable. Activities such as initiating four new conversations in two days for example. From there, they will start to become more confident and can move toward those larger objectives with a boosted attitude.
5. Offer New Tricks
The same old same old can get stale after a while. If you do notice your team is flagging, then it might be a great time to teach them something new, offer different insights, perhaps even bring someone in who can provide a fresh way of doing things. They will thus see that you're invested in them and their overall growth.
6. Reflect What You Want to See
Maybe you are starting to lean into the negative. They are going to reflect on what they see. As their leader, you need to emit the attitude and mindset that you want them to mirror. Positivity does start with you. Even something as basic as your everyday body language could be giving off the wrong vibe. So this might be an introspective moment during which you take some time to examine your patterns of behavior and if needed, make some adjustments.
At First Union Lending, we are here to help small business owners thrive and grow! If you do need to find new ways of motivating your team, or you want to establish some educationaltraining programs, then we can help. Our flexible business loan programs can be custom-tailored to fit your needs. Call today!