The performance of your sales team can make or break your business. After all, they are the ones selling your products and fielding calls. One bad month from them, and you’ll see your profits go down and your closest competitors chip away at your market share.
So, to deliver the results you need, they need a high level of motivation. And you need to do your part here. Aside from having them participate in a retail sales training program, here are some more strategies you can implement to keep your sales team’s morale high.
Build Trust
Trust is important in every business relationship. Without it, you’ll have a difficult time reaching out, motivating and inspiring your sales team. Trusting each other allows you and your sales team to work together and make compromises for the company’s greater good. Here are ways to develop this with your group.
- Be fair when it comes to meting out punishments. Fairness in the workplace shows you value meritocracy and deal with mistakes and misconduct in an equal manner. Your team will respect and trust you if you’re fair.
- Have activities outside the workplace, such as team buildings, dinners and the like.
- Tell the truth about company objectives and direction all the time.
Understand Their Goals
Each team member will have different personal and professional goals, so avoid treating them the same. Some might want extra money because their children are about to go to college while others might want to go on long trips in a faraway place, and others just want to prepare for retirement. Understand these goals and incentivize your team in a way that allows them to achieve what they want.
Open the Line of Communication
Communication is another important aspect you need to work on for your sales team to thrive. You’ll need to update each other, learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, determine what motivates each one and figure out a way to achieve the objectives you set out. Talk to each other to determine how you can work together. Establish non-negotiables, key motivators, incentives and other similar parts of the job you need to discuss.
Customize Your Management Style
Not everyone will appreciate micromanagement nor a supervisor who’s barely there or rarely gives instructions. You need to customize your approach depending on the needs of your team. Sometimes, you have to micromanage to keep them motivated and in check, and in other instances, you need to reduce your hands-on approach.
Communicate with the members of your team and seek feedback about your management style to determine if it’s working for them and in line with your company’s objectives.
Give Incentives, Monetary and Beyond
Money is an important motivational force for many. However, it’s not the only reason people do what they do. Provide a competitive salary and other forms of incentives that can entice your sales team to go beyond the extra mile. This can be in the form of more paid leaves, flexible working hours, more time with family and the possibility of promotions.
These are just some of the ways to motivate your sales force to go beyond what you ask of them. Implement these to achieve your business objectives and create a fun working environment for everyone.
