Sales Motivation – Next Wave Marketing Strategies.com
1. Lead from the top.
If you’re grouchy and pessimistic, your sales team will feel and act the same way. Instead, boost your own enthusiasm about your agency. Review its mission, vision, and value statements. Are those statements still accurate? If not, re-write them until they reflect your company’s current reality. Although many people roll their eyes when they hear about these statements, if they are used correctly, the statements can help guide sales agents by answering questions such as, “Why do I matter?” or “Why are we bothering to do all this.” Another way a leader can help energize a team is through sharing success stories. Certainly, your team wants to know when the company is doing well, but they also want to know that they are actually making a difference in people’s lives. When you get feedback from satisfied customers, share it with the team and watch the energy level in the room pick up.
2. Know your team and play to their strengths.
It’s a good idea for everyone on your sales team to be cross-trained so they can step in for each other in a moment of crisis. When it comes to regular assignments, it makes more sense to play to the strengths of each member of your team rather than assign the same percentage of tasks to everyone. John, for instance, might love the adrenaline rush of cold calling; whereas Sally, who is shy, does better with warm calling such as contacting new Internet leads. Other factors you might consider include whether an employee is more comfortable in an individual or group setting, and whether an employee expresses him or herself better verbally or in writing.
