How to Motivate your Sales Team

Let us learn in this article on three basic principles and techniques for motivating the sales team.

Principle #1: Being Specific

The first technique is being specific. Specificity in your feedback helps reinforce specific traits. Rather than making generic comments, give specific reasons why you are happy or upset about their performance. When you get specific with your feedback, you connect on a deeper level with your team members and increase the chances of driving across the right message.

For instance, if you walk up to your team members and say “oh Joe, you did a great job in the project, keep it up”, you’ll make much less impact than saying something like “oh Joe, I see you have helped up improve in this area that we have been lagging in, and you are now making us more competitive. That is awesome”. In the second comment, you help remind your team members of what is actually important and what best to do about it.

When you are specific with your comment, your staff will easily be able to identify and double down on exactly what they need to do earn rewards and recognition.

Principle #2: The Stronger the Why, The Smaller the How

Focus more on the why rather than the how. Do not put emphasis on the what and how. When you nag or scold someone, you are essentially dwelling on the ‘what’ and ‘how’. Nagging does not create lasting results because the person on the receiving end does not get motivated when you repeat instructions over and over again without telling them why they need to change.

Change in life is often a matter of motivation. The ‘Whys’ tell your sales team what they stand to benefit from a change.

Principle #3: Examine Who You are Giving the Feedback to

Understand the reason on wanting to give feedback. Here is a remarkable story that reflects the importance of understanding who you are giving a feedback to.

One day, a student of Confucius’ Tse Kung, received a stranger at Confucius’ house while Confucius was asleep. The stranger came to challenge Confusions’ wisdom. Trying to prove that he really had what it takes to discredit Confucius as he was getting turned away, the stranger asked Tse how many seasons there are in a year. When Tse answered that there were 4 seasons, he laughed and said there are only three seasons.

Both started arguing and Confucius was woken by the uproar. When he came out to find out what was going on, Tse explained the argument to him. However, Confucius immediately agreed with the stranger that there are only three seasons. Later on in the day, after the stranger had left, Tse approached Confucius to explain why he agreed with the stranger when they both knew there are indeed 4 seasons.

Confucius then replied asking if he did not recognize the stranger’s green costume. He pointed out that the stranger was dressed like an adult grasshopper that does not survive during winter, so therefore Winter is non-existent to him.

Remember when giving feedback, ask yourself why you are giving the feedback to the person in question.

Find out more on sales motivation through our sales training progam. Do feel free to comment or share your thougts about this article.