As sales managers we are always searching for ways to motivate our sales force.We want to motivate those salespeople to go just a bit farther.We want them to exceed their quota, not just reach it.We need to determine if our salespeople are engaged in their work.
It is critical to know because it is impossible to motivate someone who is not engaged in his or her work.
In fact,most of us know that it is impossible to truly motivate someone else because real, long-lasting motivation comes from within.
Knowing that, it is vital for sales managers to find out what motivates each and every one of our salespeople.
Contest crash Several years ago I was working with a company that sold anti-virus computer software.
Most of their sales reps sold over the phone, making outbound calls to potential customers.
The sales manager wanted to really push the team and decided to have a contest.
He decided the prize would be a Skidoo jet ski.
He was so excited.He announced the contest to his team and thought,"This will really motivate them." This company happened to be right outside of Chicago, which we all know is near Lake Michigan so this might seem like a good idea.
However, if you have ever lived near Lake Michigan you know that the water is very cold and that there is a very short season for doing any activity on the lake.Aside from that, only a small number of people are really in the market for a jet ski.Unfortunately, there was only one salesperson who really wanted the Skidoo and that person worked like crazy while the other 20 or so people just kept doing what they had been doing.
I think that sales manager is still wondering what went wrong with his motivation plan.
Ask what motivates them External motivation is great.
Cheering your team on is great.Words of appreciation work very well, but again that is all coming from you.
If you want to motivate your salespeople you have to ask them what motivates them.
Ask your salespeople to do this exercise.
Have them write down the answers to these questions.
How much money do you make annually right now? How much they would you like to make and by when.
What numbers signify the gap? At your current rate of pay and commission what it will take to close the gap? Be specific.
How will you keep track of your progress? (Make it visual.) What will you do if you are not on track to hit your goal? What will you do with all the money you make? What motivates you? (Make it visual.) I frequently do this with sales teams when I am doing sales consulting and training.
Here is one recent example.
I make $60,000 per year.
I would like to make $100,000 per year by Jan.
1, 2006 The gap is $40,000.
At my current rate of pay, I would need to sell four more systems per month.
(Don't let them stop here; if they do they will never hit their goal.) In order to sell four more systems per month I need to do more prospecting.
Four more systems per month equals 48 more per year.
To make this easier I will also need to get referrals from my current customers.
I will make a chart with the number of systems I sell each week.
I will ask for coaching from my sales manager, I will be sure I am asking for referrals from my satisfied customers.
I will put half the money in my retirement account and the other half into fixing up my house.
Right now those are the things that will motivate me to sell more.My visual will be a graphic that signifies saving money for retirement and photos of the part of my house I want to fix up.
(Don't let them stop there.) I will bring those in and hang them in my work area so that I can see them everyday.
Identify the motivator Is the $40,000 the motivator? Or is it the growing retirement account and fixing the house? Now you know something personal that motivates this salesperson and that you can cheer this salesperson on to achieve.
You need to do this exercise at least once a year because most of your salespeople will achieve their goals and will have new ones to set their sights on.Along with having your salespeople verbalize and visualize what motivates them, you may also want to ask them for suggestions on what type of sales contests would motivate them and for ideas to inspire the entire team.
Consistently recognizing your salespeople for things they do well along with some of your undivided attention periodically will help you learn what is working well for them and in what areas they need some coaching.
Engaged, motivated salespeople are then ones who most often exceed their quotas.
I would love to hear your stories about the ways you motivate your sales team.
Please send stories to stories@aliceheiman.com.
Alice R.
Heiman is president of ARH Consulting LLC, a sales consulting company based in Reno.
