This article provides four key ways to motivate your teams out of recession. The most common reasons for de-motivation in a sales team are also highlighted.
The sales manager and salesforce are standing in front of a graph of sales in, which follows a straight-line course over the whole year but with a sudden peak in the summer. One of the team comments: That was the month you were on holiday! The picture is not new, but it captures something many people do not know …the greatest de-motivating influence on a salesforce comes from their immediate superior.
When salespeople feel de-motivated by their superior, it is nearly always because of the same patterns of behaviour. These are:
1. The sales manager takes decisions on their own without involving the staff.
2. Criticisms go beyond the limits of objectivity and touches on personal characteristics.
3. In discussions the manager hardly lets sales force staff get a word in edgeways.
4. Sales people only ever receive information that is inadequate, one-sided, too late or narrowly related to their own field of work.
If one or other of these management shortcomings seems somewhat familiar to you, here are four ideas that will improve performance:
1. Do not be pedantic! Avoid obsessive love of order and all forms of nitpicking. Pedantry hampers co-operation. Nor should you make remarks like Absolutely out of the question! Whenever a question of principle is involved, things can become really irrational in otherwise rational organisations!
2. Be credible! The role image of the ever-agile streamlined manager, who shows no feelings, has no weaknesses and admits to no problems, is outdated. Resolve to show credibility, integrity and clarity. If you talk about your own feelings - even those of doubt and helplessness - then your staff too will understand you and you will not continually have to motivate them in the face of the daily chaos.
3. Have confidence in people’s performance! Any sales chief who has no confidence in his/her salespeople will de-motivate them and will only be rewarded with poor performance. These low expectations can be conveyed by many communicative signals, even minor put-downs which may not necessarily be dramatic. One might forget to reply to an initiative from a member of staff, fail to catch a proposal they have made or give an indulgent, meaningful smile - all this demotivates the salesperson.
4. Do not be hyperactive! Make a resolution not to manipulate, intervene or breathe down the salesperson’s neck. You do not have to wait until next to resolve to make these changes. Start now and help to motivate your team out of the recession. If you want further help to develop your management skills, attend a good sales management training course to learn more motivational techniques.
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