Getting Your Salespeople Motivated

Having motivated sales people on board is vital. Conservatory Girl on the GlassTalk website has voiced frustration at the lack of it, resulting in depressed conversion rates.

There are certain things that really get salespeople into that much needed groove. Firstly, commission only sales reps, I think, work the hardest. They have to put the extra effort in every time, knowing that if they don't they could lose out on a sale, and possible their only wage for the week. Those on a basic can become a little lax, knowing that even if they don't get every sale, they are still going to earn.

One thing to note is that sales people are vein (and that includes me!). They like nothing more than to come top of the pile at the end of the week. They also hate it when they come last. Internal competition is good for business. Publish the sales figures at the end of every week. Show who's come first and who's come last. We do, and we all have some good banter from it, but it also drives us to do the best we can. We also compare conversion rates. Again we always want to have the best conversion rate for the week or month.

Don't overload sales reps with distance and appointments. It's OK covering a wide radius, but trying to cram in 2-3 appointments a day while driving 250 miles is hard mentally. The driving is tedious. The long drives take your mind off the up coming appointment, which means when he/she isn't in the right frame of mind. Do that 2-3 times a day and leads won't be worked to their potential.

Call leads back. Ask the client questions about the call. Was he/she on time? Did you understand everything the sales rep explained. Etc. If you start to get negative feedback you know where you need to improve, if it's positive you know the sales people are doing their jobs right. It also puts pressure on them. The last thing they want is a follow up call to reveal that they had just played at the lead and couldn't really be bothered.

Those are just a few, but some of the main ways to try to get sales people in the mood to sell. Try them, but don't blame me if they don't work! If they don't, you probably need to get rid of the sales rep!