Summertime and holiday seasons can get your sales team feeling unmotivated, especially if you can’t get ahold of your clients and prospects who are away from the office. But summer isn’t the time to slack off! It might seem like there’s not as much work to do, but there’s always a way to pivot for success and gain business. Sales is a performance and results-based career and you want to ensure your team members are continuously on track to hit goals. Here are 4 things you can do to keep your sales team motivated.
Set SMART goals and clear expectations
Top performers will most likely get along on their own, but the average members of your team may need a little push to think outside the box to get results. Consider setting short-term SMART goals to boost productivity. These goals should be a clear and attainable way for your employees to know exactly what is expected of them and how success is measured. Tactics can be setting a certain amount of communication touchpoints made per day or week; those can be calls, emails, and in-person meetings. Discover additional contacts at your client‘s office who can help you work around any shifts in normal business or find a way to fill a hole in a project that’s been open for a while. Make it work and keep them active and on track for any team or company metrics that need to be met.
Recognize successes and stoke competition
Acknowledge those on your team who hit it out of the park. Who doesn’t love feeling appreciated or winning a prize? But remember that you need to motivate people differently because each person has a different driving force. One may prefer public praise, and another is highly money motivated. Incentivized prizes can include tickets to concerts or sporting events, an extra day off or half-day, or a bonus check. Also, salespeople love good competition! Offering perks or small stakes in a friendly competition (eg, loser wears a costume all day, the winner gets a free meal) will add an extra layer of urgency to meet goals. No one will want to be the loser. Make it fun and light, but meaningful.
Share the knowledge
Have team check-ins. These can be in the morning, the end of the day, or weekly. Make sure each member on your team is on the same page and has an opportunity to communicate openly with each other. Check-ins should be a space to give feedback and share things you’ve learned that went well or poorly, and how you or others on the team could use support. 89 percent of HR leaders agree ongoing peer feedback and check-ins have a positive impact on their organizations. Asking for help should be encouraged as it leads to better outcomes.
Don’t forget have fun!
Don’t take yourselves too seriously. Take time to have fun with the team away from your desks when you can. This can be free breakfast in the office once a week, a morning coffee break with your team, or if you have a more professional environment, allow for casual dress days. Breaking up the monotony with perks and positive energy improves your employee’s ability to bounce back from challenges and difficulties. Your team will be more excited to come into work every day and make the most of their working time.
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