“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower
Motivation goes a long way towards producing good sales figures. The more motivated your sales team is, the more successfully they will sell. Like everything else, motivation has to be maintained if you want to bear its fruit. Having an unmotivated team can be a problem, but every manager can learn how to motivate the sales team better. They can solve this problem and guide the team towards achieving the quarterly targets. We’ve come up with some sales meeting ideas to help with this process.
1) Positive reinforcement
All too often, sales managers focus on the negative. What went wrong, who screwed up, who didn’t achieve their targets. This is something they talk about a lot. However, this demotivates the team. All the focus on the negative creates the impression this
is the only thing going on.
Instead of focusing solely on the negative, a good idea would be to spruce up your sales meeting with something positive. Be conscious about the positive work your team is doing. Praise them for their success. This goes a long way toward motivating them. We all want to avoid scolding, but we all appreciate praise. What would you prefer – leading a team working towards avoiding something or towards achieving something? The latter is a lot more successful.
Pay attention to what your team is doing. Start your meetings by praising them for their success. Use your own observations, coworkers impressions, or even client testimony. Praising the whole team will promote teamwork in the future.
2) Team involvement
Just because you’re leading them, doesn’t mean you should do all the work. Your team can also help create a supportive atmosphere, where individual members are appreciated. Hearing praise from the sales manager is one thing, but hearing praise from a peer is another thing altogether. Encourage them to do so.
As a sales manager, you should be giving motivational sales meeting ideas. People don’t always find the right words to express themselves. Guide them through the process and lead them by example. Ask your team if they have stories about coworkers who have helped them get the job done. The focus should be on people in the room, but people outside of it should also be commended. Inspire this behaviour and you’ll see the inter-team dynamics change for the better.
3) Individual approach
Letting the team know they’re doing a good job is a fantastic way to motivate them. Yet you shouldn’t forget about personal achievements. It’s a good thing for people to feel like they are a part of something bigger than they are. At the same time, most people don’t like to get the impression they’re being de-personified. It’s a delicate balance you need to achieve.
Pointing out personal achievements is a great way motivate your sales team. This way you can easily show them what type of behaviour you’re looking for. Keep in mind not everybody likes to be in the spotlight. This might have the opposite effect for people who are shy. Make sure you use this tactic wisely and with the right people lest it backfires.
4) Keep them in the loop
How can your team be motivated if they don’t know what’s going on? Many sales managers make the crucial mistakes of not keeping their team in the loop. This means the sales team is not aware of where they’re going. Setting up a few targets is not enough. You need to have a clear vision of how they’re going to be achieved. The team needs to be familiar with your vision.
Be clear about what you want and how you want to achieve it. This will increase the likelihood of success. Your team will feel involved in the process. They will be a lot more motivated because of their involvement. It’s no longer your vision. It’s theirs, too.
5) Dynamic approach to meetings
If you do the same thing over and over again, it will get boring. Even if you have good intentions, your team will feel you’re just forcing things. Change things up a bit. Use a different time or setting. Move the furniture around. Allow a different team member to lead it every week. All of this will make for a different sales meeting each time.
Your team will see you’re trying to keep things fresh. They will also realize how much you’re involving them in the process. Once more, they will feel like a part of the big picture. This will go a long way towards motivating them.
6) Inside information
Sales managers always have access to more information than their teams. This is the natural order of things. However, team members often feel neglected because of this. It makes them feel uncertain of what’s going on behind the curtain. Dispel their doubts by giving them more information when you can. If you want a motivated team, tell them what’s happening in the kitchen, even if it doesn’t concern them directly.
7) End on a high note
End your meetings with an inspirational quote or video. This will allow you to finish on a high note and leave a motivating impression from the meeting. The Internet is full of motivational materials from the best writers and speakers, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. Yet, it will do a lot for motivating your team.
It’s important to keep your team motivated if you want them to be efficient. Show them the behaviors you’re looking for and lead by example. Use the ideas we’ve shown you and you’ll see a positive change in no time.
For more information about MoData offerings click here
