MOTIVATING YOUR SALES TEAM
Sales managers are always asking me, "How do I motivate my sales people?"
Let me answer: You can’t! Motivation is a movement into action. You can only motivate yourself, not others.
Let me answer: You can’t! Motivation is a movement into action. You can only motivate yourself, not others.
However, there are many things you CAN do to help your team motivate themselves!!
Since fear and lack of confidence are the two biggest obstacles to motivation, if you can reduce these two factors, you can immediately impact your team(s) to sell more.
How do I reduce their fear and build their self-confidence? Some tips:
- Show them it’s possible. Figure out which past or present performers they will relate to the most, introduce them, put them together or at least share the stories of how the others did it, so they can see it can be done.
- Have them spend a "shadow" day with a successful salesperson, so they can see how the salesperson does it and see that they share the same challenges in common, etc.
- Up your training. Knowledge builds confidence. Many times "lack of motivation" is just the result of the salesperson being afraid of not knowing enough to make the sale, or not to appear foolish.
- Accompany them or team them up with a buddy. Two are stronger than one, and they are better off with half of a sale they can collaborate on, than all of nothing. Go doorknocking with them, make calls, whatever.
- Learn what their larger purpose is. Why are they doing this? Help them keep their purpose in front of them in a bigger way. Talk to them about their dreams and goals. Find out their "WHY" and help keep it alive.
- Expect greatness from them. If you expect great results and they know it, they are more likely to perform to that expectation. If you don’t believe they can do it, how will they? What you expect is usually what you get.
- Find out if they are competitive or not. Some people are highly competitive and will respond really well to contests with their colleagues. If they are competitive, create a little game for them to play.
- Inspiration starts at the top. They will follow what you do, not what you say. If you are enthusiastic, and are stepping out of your comfort zone to do your job, they are more likely to "follow the leader" and go for it.
- Help them practice. We have been talking in recent entries and comments about script internalization, learning lines, and practicing our craft. Set up practice sessions. Make the sessions regular, safe, and fun.
This is a great start. Let me know what works! I look forward to hearing your success stories!
Coach Julia
Tags: Motivation, Sales, Sales Management, Sales success, Self Confidence
