Maximising Salesforce Motivation

Defining Motivation

Just to pluck out a definition of the term ‘motivation’ from a plethora of examples, it has been described as ‘a personal reason for doing something.’ A personal reason for doing what you might ask? Sure, we want our sales people to do something - we want results, right? But what have they got to do to achieve those results? They could just pray and hope but the reality is that they will only get the right result if they put in the right activity. And…..the indisputable truth is….. salespeople will not carry out the required activities unless they are motivated to do so. It’s not just a question of hard work either. We’ve all seen hard working failures as well as the top performers who deliver the goods with apparent ease. Keeping luck out of the mix, all sales results derive from not just how hard somebody works but from the amount of customer interface they achieve, what they are selling, the level they sell at and, of course, the quality of their sales effort when preparing for, and conducting sales calls. The question is - how can this be optimised? How can we motivate sales people to implement the right level and mix of activities?

Some common myths about motivation

Either dangle a carrot or hit them with a stick

The truth is, neither of these are effective in the long run. As Professor Frederick Hertzberg showed in his research (Work and the Nature of Man), true motivation comes from within, when somebody has ‘an inbuilt generator’ to want to do something.

Salespeople are fundamentally lazy or Salespeople are naturally self-motivated

Both of the above are common misconceptions. People’s attitudes vary depending on the task and, largely speaking, their ability to carry it out, combined with a focus on what they will get from the outcomes in terms of reward, recognition and personal advancement.

We can get the right sales result by putting in place an incentive scheme

As attractive as it sounds in terms of its simplicity, the truth is that incentives, at best, reinforce the right behaviours and simply reward the same old top performers again and again. For the mediocre players, they do little to create the right behaviours as driving changes in activity involves bringing them out of their comfort zones via developing their competencies and providing relevant support. Too often, incentives amount to sales management abdication.

What motivates me must motivate others

Oh really? So just because I am an ego maniac who craves recognition and praise, everyone else does too? Or because, three wives later I have a large maintenance bill and I need lots of cash, my team is as money hungry as me? Research shows that not only do we all have different ‘motivational switches’, but that these change over time. There is no substitute for staying close to our people and tuning into what makes them tick.

Provide the right salary and a nice car and salespeople will be motivated

Perhaps - but for how long? Both become expectations after a very short period and very soon they become de-motivators once someone hears about a colleague with a higher salary and a better car. Sorry, no easy answers here either.

But don’t worry! Salespunch™ has the tools and expertise to help you to analyse your team’s motivators and to construct personal sales plans that align with their personal drivers. No ‘mumbo jumbo’ or ‘psycho-babble’.  Salespunch™ has the practical tools to help you get the very best from your sales team. Now there’s an incentive!

Call us now to arrange your exploratory consultation with your Salespunch™ coach.