Keeping your sales team engaged and aligned with the needs of the organization can sometimes be a challenge for sales managers. But the rewards are plentiful: research shows that the more engaged the workforce, the more innovative, productive and profitable the company.
Here are three actions you can take to engage your sales team.
1. Be clear on goals. Your sales team is made up of individuals, so talk with them and personalize their goals and rewards. Get them to own it, buy in and write it out.
What works for one person may not for another.
One seller we worked with was very comfortable with his $50K salary. His company came out with a new program that was going to allow him to make $100K if he met his stretch goals. You know what he did? He earned $54,000 that year and was very satisfied.
We later found out that the extra money was not a motivator for him, but having extra time off with his family during the summer and holidays was! We tied his rewards into an opportunity for him that really mattered.
2. Provide regular measurement on progress. Don’t only wait until reporting time to provide measurements. If there are big successes or a lack thereof, acknowledge them sooner rather than later.
Let your team ‘see’ their progress. Often managers get the reports – but there is no consistent process to communicate them to the reps. Post numbers on a common wall. Provide weekly or monthly year-to-date and month-to-date reports.
We are amazed at how many companies give out the quarterly goals and then do not provide any reporting mechanisms for sellers to track their progress. It’s an easy fix.
3. Coach them to identify the real reward that will drive them to succeed.
Always focus on ‘What’s in it for Them’ with every communication and discussion. Just like in selling to prospects, articulating value to your salespeople is important. Selling them on the benefits and value of working hard and taking the right action makes your job easier.
What do you do to engage your team? Let us know in the Comments section.
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