In sales there is a constant pressure to drive results, after all it’s one of the few gigs that resets to zero at the beginning of every month. Making sure your sales team is achieving their sales goals is key the success of any business.
But what can you do to get the best out of your salespeople? What incentives make your stars want to sell more, and what incentives make your average people want to be great?
Here are five effective ways to motivate your sales team to build better relationships with prospects, turning them into customers to boost sales:
Include Sales in Company Decisions
One way to motivate your troops is to include your sales people in company decisions. In most businesses, decisions are made in a vacuum, but if revenue is vital to growing your business then you need to find a way to include your sales staff in more than just the sale.
Let your sales people sit in on customer success meetings, join marketing meetings, or give their input on the direction of your products and services. Remember, your sales team is on the front lines speaking with prospects and customers every day. Their voice is extremely valuable to the business.
In addition, involving your sales leaders in company decisions can prepare them to join your business’s leadership team. They gain a better understanding of how your business works, they have opportunities to contribute to the company, and you get to observe how they interact with the other leaders in your organization.
Promote Your Best
If you have a sales rep who is deserving of recognition, promote them. Give them a bump in salary, give them a new title, and make certain they know that you have seen the work they do, and that is why they are moving up. Showing other employees that there is an opportunity for advancement can help foster an engaged culture that fuels results and builds more leaders in the future.
Reward with More than Just Money
Getting commissions on the paycheck is a big driver for most sales people. However, motivating a sales team to drive more revenue for your business comes down to more than just money. After all if money was the only performance driver then your sales staff would be blowing out their quota already.
In the era of recognition that we now live in, non monetary rewards can be a huge driving force in getting your people to commit to the mission of your business and to grow sales.
Such incentives could be as simple as gift cards, a trip to the spa, or a day off to recharge the batteries. Another great way to give recognition to your sales team for achieving their monthly goals is to have a team day where you and your sales staff take the day off and participate together in a fun event. It is a great way to build morale, foster teamwork and reward everyone for a job well done.
Talk to Your People
Talk to sales and engage with them — don’t just treat them like a means to drive more revenue. When you see a team member doing something above and beyond reaching their monthly quota, encourage and support them to keep it going. Let them know they are appreciated. That means be specific about a time that they stepped up and did work that was above and beyond what was expected. A simple conversation will often do more for your sales team’s morale than almost anything else you could offer. Recognition for a job well done a respected boss can go a long way toward reinforcing the work that earned that pat on the back, and it can increase loyalty to the boss and the company. This is especially true if you have a younger sales team, as millennials thrive on meaningful feedback and check-ins.
An important part of the conversation is to ask your sales staff what they need to blow out their goals. Do they need additional training? Do they struggle with lead generation? Do they believe in the products or services they are selling? When you break down the silos and communicate with your sales team, you are in a better position to deliver the resources they need to bring in more customers and hit their targets.
Give them the RIGHT tools
One of the greatest challenges for sales leaders is to expect them to drive revenue and results without having the right tools in place. By giving your sales people the RIGHT tools you allow them and their team to do what they do best – build deeper relationships – not mindless endeavors like cold calling, organizing their contacts, or manually tracking their performance.
Software such as a CRM and marketing automation with built-in reporting allow your salespeople to focus on building relationships with hot prospects instead of working through administrative tasks that don’t move the needle. The right tools can optimize your overall process so even your top performers can increase conversion rates and boost revenue.
Sales and marketing tools can also help you track the success of your salespeople so you know who to incentivize, who needs a little more guidance in meeting their goals, and the specific areas where a team member might be struggling. With the right tools facilitating a better process and helping your people do their best work, your whole organization becomes a well-oiled revenue machine.
Taking time to build up your sales staff is a worthwhile investment. Speak to your best people, include them in the decision making process, and give them the tools they need to succeed. Motivating your salespeople with the right incentives creates high performers that remain energized about their work and stay loyal to you and your company.