Tough love for sales teams - motivation theories
Tough love for sales teams - motivation theories
Tough love for sales teams - motivation theories
When your sales team lose motivation the effects can be disastrous. Without them the future of the whole company is under threat. Here are 10 motivation theories and tips to motvative sales teams. Whilst they can be applied to other types of team, some will only work in highly competitive environments where people thrive on pressure, competition, winning and targets. Used with caution these employee motivation theories and tips for salespeople will incentivise your sales team to perform to maximum effect.
1. Expectations
Do your sales people know what is expected of them? Do they have clear, challenging and realistic quotas to meet?
2. Ranking
Encourage healthy competition by displaying recent results for each sales people or team. Ensure that criteria for success is clear and that this does not encourage resentment or low morale.
3. Bonuses
This works particularly well for short-term/special product production.
4. Awards
Categories like "Salesperson of the Month", "New Salesperson of the Year", "Prize Motivator" work well. Ensure there are a range of categories so everyone has the opportunity to compete. 
5. Threats
For a really tough approach, fire the bottom 10% of the sales team each quarter.
6. Pow-wows
Set up a system of weekly or daily meetings of all salespeople to raise energy levels, set challenges, rally the troops.
7. Away days
Whether these are off-site sales conferences or team building exercises, the opportunity to get out of the office environment encourages team work, friendship, renewed enthusiasm and a sense of perspective.
8. A Coach
A coach can motivate salespeople to manage expectations, honour promises, stay focused and enthusiastic.
9. Training
Have your sales people had the latest training? Do they have the necessary skills to perform to maximum effect? Inject energy in to your sales team by improving competence.
10. Product
Nothing is more motivating to a sales team than a product they can really believe in. If your sales team is struggling maybe the product is at fault?
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If you want more information about motivation theories, you may want to read some of our other free motivation articles:
Measuring motivation in the workplace
Employee motivation in the workplace
Motivation in the workplace - myths and tips
