How do you motivate a sales team? If you're looking for effective and inexpensive ways to get the most production out of your sales team, then you'll love these five proven steps.
By Mike Brooks
Copyright (c) 2010 Mr. Inside Sales
Motivation seems to be one of the toughest areas to get a handle on. Many managers tell me that some of their reps are already motivated and don’t need their help in that area (usually the Top 20%), but that the majority seem to need constant motivating, mentoring, counseling, or out right babysitting. Sound familiar?
When asked what to do, I tell them there is only so much they can do because true motivation comes from within—in other words, each member of their team is already motivated. There are, however, 5 things you can do to get the most out of your sales team and keep motivation and morale high. Here’s what they are --
#1) Make your monthly revenue goal, and each reps part of that goal, crystal clear. I’m sure you have a monthly revenue goal, but does each member of your sales team know what their specific part of that goal is? (Hint—it’s not all equal). Recognize that some reps will produce much more of the overall goal than others, but also make sure each one is clear on what their part of that overall goal is.
#2) Individualize the bonuses or prizes. The problem with most bonus programs is that as soon as they are released, over one-half of the sales team knows they can’t win so they are more discouraged than encouraged to produce. Customize each reps bonus based on their individual production goal. This ensures every body has a chance to win and thus will be motivated.
#3) Get out of your office and close some deals. Most managers are way too busy in meetings, or reporting, or just plain hiding out to be really effective. Remember one thing—as the manager, you are the leader. And leaders lead by example. Want to motivate your team, make your numbers, and create real value for yourself?
Go onto the floor and close business for some of your sales reps and help them make their revenue goals. This is the most important thing you can do not only for your bottom line, but for your team's motivation as well.
#4) Invest $100 in a couple of trophies. The best money you’ll ever spend—make one a “Weekly most improved” or “Best effort” and hand it out each Monday morning. Each winner gets to keep it on their desk that week. The other trophy can be either “Most deals,” or “Most new clients” or whatever other category everyone has a chance to win (as long as it is revenue related).
Again, hand it out in your Monday morning sales meeting, and each week the winner gets to keep it on their desk. Rule #1 in motivating: recognition among peers is almost always more important than money.
#5) Have some fun! Go to a toy store and buy one of those beanbag tosses, and after lunch on Friday make some teams and have some fun playing as a team. Tack on $50 for good measure and watch the competition and fun build your team and dissolve stress. This works ? try it!
So there you have it. Inexpensive, proven techniques to build morale, motivate and make more money.
Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, helps sales reps close more business over the phone. Learn how to sell more today by downloading the Special Report, "Ten Techniques to Instantly Become a Better Closer".
Showing posts with label sales motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sales motivation. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Repetition is the Key to Sales Success
Don't wait for your boss to put you on a sales training program. Don't wait for your sales results to fall off a cliff. Don't wait until it's nearly too late to start. Start now and make regular sales training practice of your selling skills part of your daily habits. You'll be amazed what you can achieve from a mere 15 minutes a day practicing your basic sales skills.
By Gavin Ingham
Copyright (c) 2009 Gavin Ingham
“Repetition is the mother of all skill.” ~ Tony Robbins, author of Unlimited Power
In sales seminars and sales training programs I often talk about the difference between sales skills and sales techniques…
Sales techniques are something external to you, they are something that you hear or that you know. Sales skills are something that you own, they are yours through hard work and practice. And, what’s more, they won’t abandon you in even the toughest of markets.
When I speak at sales conferences many salespeople sit back, cross their arms and ask for “the advanced stuff”. They tell their boss that they don’t need sales training because they already know it, they’ve heard it all before…
Take open questions as an example. Any salesperson with more than about 5 minutes selling experience knows what an open question is - a question that requires more than a “yes” or “no” answer. We all know that open questions start with the words what, where, when, why, how, who which. But how many salespeople put undue sales pressure onto their clients by asking (self-centred) closed questions when they should be asking (well constructed) open questions?
“Most salespeople” is the correct answer.
The ability to ask great questions is one of the critical skills for being a sales superstar yet most salespeople fair badly at best in this area. Think back to the first time you were taught about open questions. Did you understand it? I’m guessing that you did. Let’s face it, it really isn’t that complicated is it? Most salespeople hear it, think that it makes sense and move on. They hear it, they acknowledge it but they never practice it. They get it intellectually but because they never practiced it, it never becomes a skill for them. It never becomes something that they own.
Put under pressure in a sales meeting or in a cold call, and with the adrenaline flowing, they revert to type asking controlling closed questions and “forgetting” to ask carefully constructed open ones.
As Robbins says, “Repetition is the mother of all skill.”
* If you want to be a great golfer you need to practice your swing, over and over.
* If you want to be a great pianist you need to practice your scales, over and over.
* If you want to be a great at anything you need to practice it, over and over.
* If you want to be a great salesperson you need to practice your sales skills, over and over.
If you are a salesperson and you want to outsell your competition and win more clients fast, you need to create an ongoing sales development program for yourself that includes regular practice of all of the sales training basics.
Don’t wait for your boss to put you on a sales training program. Don’t wait for your sales results to fall off a cliff. Don’t wait until it’s nearly too late to start. Start now and make regular sales training practice of your selling skills part of your daily habits. You’ll be amazed what you can achieve from a mere 15 minutes a day practicing your basic sales skills.
If you’re a sales manager, sales leader or business owner then you need to think about how you can help your sales team to practice their core sales skills regularly. One-off training is not enough by itself. You need to create ongoing sessions and exercises for them to participate in, both individually and as a team.
Not convinced it’s worth the effort? Not convinced you can get the same results? Not convinced that you buy into this whole practice argument? What would Tiger Woods, David Beckham and Johnny Wilkinson tell you to do?
I rest my case.
For more sales training tips, tricks and strategies visit http://www.gaviningham.com now. Blogs, articles, podcasts, videos and a free sales newsletter.
By Gavin Ingham
Copyright (c) 2009 Gavin Ingham
“Repetition is the mother of all skill.” ~ Tony Robbins, author of Unlimited Power
In sales seminars and sales training programs I often talk about the difference between sales skills and sales techniques…
Sales techniques are something external to you, they are something that you hear or that you know. Sales skills are something that you own, they are yours through hard work and practice. And, what’s more, they won’t abandon you in even the toughest of markets.
When I speak at sales conferences many salespeople sit back, cross their arms and ask for “the advanced stuff”. They tell their boss that they don’t need sales training because they already know it, they’ve heard it all before…
Take open questions as an example. Any salesperson with more than about 5 minutes selling experience knows what an open question is - a question that requires more than a “yes” or “no” answer. We all know that open questions start with the words what, where, when, why, how, who which. But how many salespeople put undue sales pressure onto their clients by asking (self-centred) closed questions when they should be asking (well constructed) open questions?
“Most salespeople” is the correct answer.
The ability to ask great questions is one of the critical skills for being a sales superstar yet most salespeople fair badly at best in this area. Think back to the first time you were taught about open questions. Did you understand it? I’m guessing that you did. Let’s face it, it really isn’t that complicated is it? Most salespeople hear it, think that it makes sense and move on. They hear it, they acknowledge it but they never practice it. They get it intellectually but because they never practiced it, it never becomes a skill for them. It never becomes something that they own.
Put under pressure in a sales meeting or in a cold call, and with the adrenaline flowing, they revert to type asking controlling closed questions and “forgetting” to ask carefully constructed open ones.
As Robbins says, “Repetition is the mother of all skill.”
* If you want to be a great golfer you need to practice your swing, over and over.
* If you want to be a great pianist you need to practice your scales, over and over.
* If you want to be a great at anything you need to practice it, over and over.
* If you want to be a great salesperson you need to practice your sales skills, over and over.
If you are a salesperson and you want to outsell your competition and win more clients fast, you need to create an ongoing sales development program for yourself that includes regular practice of all of the sales training basics.
Don’t wait for your boss to put you on a sales training program. Don’t wait for your sales results to fall off a cliff. Don’t wait until it’s nearly too late to start. Start now and make regular sales training practice of your selling skills part of your daily habits. You’ll be amazed what you can achieve from a mere 15 minutes a day practicing your basic sales skills.
If you’re a sales manager, sales leader or business owner then you need to think about how you can help your sales team to practice their core sales skills regularly. One-off training is not enough by itself. You need to create ongoing sessions and exercises for them to participate in, both individually and as a team.
Not convinced it’s worth the effort? Not convinced you can get the same results? Not convinced that you buy into this whole practice argument? What would Tiger Woods, David Beckham and Johnny Wilkinson tell you to do?
I rest my case.
For more sales training tips, tricks and strategies visit http://www.gaviningham.com now. Blogs, articles, podcasts, videos and a free sales newsletter.
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