It is the thing that makes a lot of businesses tick, but getting together a successful sales team is easier said than done.
Recruiting one in the first place is difficult, with a lot of companies prepared to pay big bucks to get the best individuals on board.
However, once your team is in place, things don’t get any easier. In today’s post, we will take a look at some of the processes you can implement to improve their motivation levels and ultimately get them selling more.
Reward when necessary
Many industries are very cutthroat, but that doesn’t mean that your sales team doesn’t have the right to be rewarded.
Sometimes, companies are quick to throw all of the targets in the world their way, but never really give much in return.
This is where tangible things like crystal awards can really be beneficial for morale. They are things that don’t cost a company a fortune, but can make a world of difference to a person’s confidence. Ultimately, higher levels of confidence are going to fuel better sales performance.
The lure of natural competition
It would be fair to say that sales is nowhere near as competitive as it once was, but it’s always going to exist to some extent.
While we don’t want to generalise, salespeople will typically possess this attribute, and it’s up to you to fuel this. As such, think of ways to encourage fair competition. This might be pitting your sales members in individual regions against each other so that everyone is on a level playing field. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the famous leader board format that was pinned in sales offices up and down the country, but small competitions can work to build motivation.
Effective goal setting
It sounds simple, but it’s something that very few companies actually carry out. Goal setting is the bread and butter of sales and as a leader, this is something that you should be looking to own.
Your sales team may feel as though they are doing a grand job at generating sales, but as it turns out the sales may not be near the level they should be based on market conditions. Of course, vice-versa could occur.
As such, start setting goals. As soon as your sales team knows that they have something to target (make sure they are of the SMART variety), you’ll find that motivation levels will start to rise.
The power of brainstorming
As anyone who has been involved in sales will testify, it can become a lonely place. As we have already alluded, it’s fiercely competitive and this can sometimes make people feel it is every man for himself, or every woman for herself.
Go against the norm and bring everyone together sometimes. Organise regular brainstorming sessions so if someone has found a standout tactic, they can share it with everyone else. It might take some time to get used to, but if you can encourage sales growth as a team rather than as individuals you will notice a major difference.
