MY SALES TEAM ARE LACKING IN MOTIVATION AND OUR NUMBERS ARE POOR
MY SALES TEAM ARE LACKING IN MOTIVATION AND OUR NUMBERS ARE POOR
Is this happening in your business?
Scenario:
The numbers aren’t looking great, and the pressure is being felt by everyone in the company. The sales team are tired and frustrated. Their motivation comes in waves but has been plateaued for a while now.
Are you at risk of:
- Losing market share? As the CEO this will massively impact your ability to grow.
- A demotivated sales team could feed a toxic culture
- Are you experiencing increased stress and sleepless nights?
Here is what you need to do:
1. Arrange an open discussion where everyone is allowed to share their frustration in a safe space. Then you can find out the real problem.
First things first, you need to build trust with your sales team. Once you have established a foundation of trust, people will be far more likely to being honest with their challenges, and goals. Try to engage your team in these nurturing conversations where they can speak openly and you can help lead them to resolutions.
If you are struggling with breaking down this boundary, try asking: I want to make sure this is a trusting relationship. How can I build the trust and support you better?
Check in on the basics. Often, our motivation suffers when we aren’t taking care of ourselves outside of work, so give your employees the chance to openly discuss any troubles they may be experiencing that could be affecting their work effort. It may be something that you can personally help with, or it could be a matter of referring for some professional council. Either way, your investment in them as an individual rather than just an employee will help build that trust.
2. Gain agreement on one or two simple things you can do to move things in the right direction.
An effective manager should not be afraid to ask their team how they would best like to be managed. Opening that conversation is a great way for you to establish an effective working relationship and find some common ground.
3. Review your team’s progress
Every few weeks, check in to see if your team are progressing in line with your company goals. The key here is showing things are moving/changing but in a gradual and sustainable way.
Motivation can be lacking as a group or with individuals, so locate which one applies to your team and you can form a plan going forward. The key to motivating a team is to know what drives them. Taking the time to learn what each team member wishes to achieve in their professional lives will not only give you a greater insight into who they are as a person, but it will also reveal the basis to what motivates them.
4. Build change and habits one small step at a time
Change that’s implemented rapidly and without careful consideration is unlikely to have a long-term impact. Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals to keep people focused and on track for progress.
5. Hold people accountable for what they agreed to do
It’s important that there is some level of mutual respect in a professional relationship. If you have set goals for your employee that you both agree are achievable, you should expect them to be trying their best to reach these goals.
Lack of motivation is something you can change, but lack of effort is a cause for concern. If you have already taken the time to understand and address any problems the individual is facing, and tried to offer them support, but they continue to fall short of your expectations, it may be time to review their place at the company.
We are all human and not every job role is suited to everyone.
6. Arrange to do some fun stuff outside of the workspace
Your team are not just “businesspeople”. They live a whole different world outside of work. Get to know them on a “human” level. What are their goals/aspirations and what do they want to achieve? Support them with this
Rewards don’t have to take the form of the traditional cash prize. Organising fun and imaginative work incentives will kickstart your team into action as they will be able to visualise the rrweard and work towards it.
If you are stuck for ideas, here’s a few ideas for incentives to inspire your team:
- Company paid lunch or dinner
- days off
- attend a sports event
- arrange a work city trip
Another great tip is to offer team members titles and certificates such as ‘salesperson of the week’. A certificate has no inherent value, but it’s a way to celebrate and recognise people’s achievements.