When you are in a management position in a company, it is your job to get your salespeople excited about the work that they do. The whole company thrives when everyone is meeting sales goals, and you must keep the momentum going. If your workers are having trouble staying on track with their sales goals, perhaps it is time to change your approach. As their leader, you want to show them the best ways to be successful in their position in the company.
Have a Strong Company Culture
Before your salesperson can feel excited about the work they are doing, they must first understand what their purpose is. For example, if you work for the company Le-vel Thrive, you should ask your employees, “What is thrive?” When you get these kinds of questions out there, the team can brainstorm ways to get the company’s message across. Your team culture should be one that promotes higher thinking and constant improvement. You want others to think of your company as a place that is constantly growing and revamping.
Set Goals Within Reach
When setting sales goals, it can be discouraging if they are ridiculously out of reach. If this is the case, no one is going to want to try to reach them. While you want your employees to push themselves to do better, you must make their goals possible. You cannot expect them to do impossible things. Instead, challenge them to do better than they did last month. In this way, they are only ever competing with themselves. It gives them the drive to give their work their best effort.
Offer Incentives
Offering incentives can be a great way to get your employees motivated. While knowing that you did a job well done is satisfying, it might not be enough to push yourself harder next month. You can offer sales bonuses as a way to increase productivity. You can even offer extra PTO days for meeting certain goals. It is a good idea to ask your employees what incentives will motivate them. After all, you want them working toward something that they want.
Give Encouragement
There will be times that your employees will not meet their goals. Some months are just not as good for sales as others. Instead of berating your employees, you should offer encouragement. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts, and help them brainstorm ways to do better in the future. Understand that the work they do is challenging, and tell them that you are glad they are part of the company. A simple “Thank you” can go a long way in helping an employee feel more encouraged.
Offer Assistance
Sometimes a manager has to get down in the trenches with the salespeople. Just because you are their leader does not mean that you should not be offering your assistance. Instead, you should be constantly looking for ways to help them meet their goals because this benefits the company as a whole. Do not expect your employees to work harder than you do. Show them the value of giving their all to their work each day. Be the example that they need.
Develop Marketing Strategies
When you have effective marketing strategies, the sales will follow. One of the best things that you can do to help your salespeople is sending out solid marketing material. This can be by way of social media, newspaper, magazines, radio, television or even mail flyers. If you are not doing your part in getting the word out about your product, your salespeople will have to work twice as hard. Your goal should be to make your small business a household name; in this way, you are securing sales for the future.
Encourage Healthy Competition
Employees should be working together as a team, but offering some competition can be an awesome motivator. While you do not want to drive a wedge between employees, letting them have healthy competition can be beneficial. Just make sure that you keep the game friendly. You can try this method out and see how it changes the dynamic of the office. If it is not favorable, you can always try another motivator.
Follow Through on Your Promises
As a manager or supervisor, one of the most valuable traits that you can have is reliability and honesty. When you offer an incentive, your employees should be able to count on you following through. If you do not uphold your word on the incentives and bonuses, employees will lose faith in them. Eventually, the motivators will serve no purpose in the office if the rewards are not seen.
Being in a leadership position is always a challenge, but it does not have to be when you follow a few simple steps. Consider these ways to help your salespeople reach their best potential.
