Motivating a sales team to do well can be challenging. Salespeople are impacted by external factors on the daily that can affect mood, performance, and motivation. This could be a lack of sales or customers repeatedly saying no. It could also be some other difficulty impeding their ability to sell, say for e.g., a worldwide pandemic.
The result – burnouts and lack of enthusiasm, leading to poor sales and reduced profitability.
According to a study conducted by Gallup, of the 5 billion people on the planet, only 1.4 billion have a good job, and just 16% of those are engaged. Overall, disengaged workers are costing the economy $300 billion or more per year.
Most business owners aspire to having a sales team with the drive to lead their company to success. Providing the motivation can be hard though because each person is unique. This requires different motivational tactics to be implemented, rather than just one strategy with little to no impact. Remember, each member of your team comes with his or her own set of values and vision, requiring a personalised motivational approach.
It’s not always about the money
“Beyond the usual decisions which influence accepting a job offer—title, salary, benefits, and extra perks—employees increasingly want to work with organizations that align with their own values.” [RisePeople]
More than just money and benefits, employees today want to feel a sense of purpose, achievement and accomplishment. They want to be respected for what they do and for the input they provide.
“People who live their purpose at work are more productive than people who don’t. They are also healthier, more resilient, and more likely to stay at the company. Moreover, when employees feel that their purpose is aligned with the organization’s purpose, the benefits expand to include stronger employee engagement, heightened loyalty, and a greater willingness to recommend the company to others.” [McKinsey]
This makes a combination of financial and non-financial motivational strategies imperative to achieving higher levels of productivity and engagement. In today’s blog, we discuss a few of the ways that you can make this happen.
Table of Contents:
- Offer a sense of purpose
- Recognise employee achievements
- Don’t micromanage
- Streamline communication
- Provide the right tools
- Arrange team building activities
- Include remote workers
1. Offer a sense of purpose
Did you know that only 40% of employees are well informed of their company’s goals, strategy, and tactics? Without a clear vision it is hard to see yourself as part of something big.
In its Millennial Survey 2017, Deloitte discovered that six out of 10 millennial’s say a “sense of purpose,” is part of the reason they chose to work for their current employer.
What does this mean for your real estate business? Spend time with your team and communicate the importance of each person’s role. Explain how their work, values and skillset contribute to the company’s growth and success.Make it a tradition to hold short strategy meetings to share corporate goals and purpose. As McKinsey says, “when employees have a chance to reflect on their own sense of purpose, and how it connects to the company’s purpose, good things happen. Survey respondents who have such opportunities are nearly three times more likely than others to feel their purpose is fulfilled at work. Make this a habit in your company”.
2. Recognise employee achievements
Share customer feedback and highlight the achievements of each employee. Allow them to share their recent accomplishments with the team and discuss what they found exciting about a specific project. Make a habit of celebrating big deals and the employee who closed them.
3. Don’t micromanage
According to a Trinity Solutions survey published in Harry E. Chambers’ book My Way or the Highway: The Micromanagement Survival Guide, 79% of respondents revealed that they had or were currently experiencing micromanagement in the workplace while 69% had considered changing jobs. To make things even worse, 85% of respondents said that their morale was impacted negatively by being micromanaged. Micromanagement births a sense of mistrust and lack of confidence. It can also make employees doubt their own professional skills.
The more your employees feel that they are trusted with responsibilities, the more involved they will feel. Allow them to find their own path to meeting business objectives.
4. Streamline communication
Open clear channels of communication and listen to what your employees have to say. Be transparent and encourage feedback. Don’t forget to include employees working remotely, no matter where they are in the world. This will foster a work culture in which employees aren’t afraid to use their voice, increasing confidence and morale.
5. Provide the right tools
Help your team by providing them with the tools they require to manage their role more effectively. If you see that they are burdened by a load of administrative work that eats up time from their main goals, find ways to automate them. Invest in a CRM, that can help them manage their leads and that will allow you to monitor the process in real-time, without having to constantly pull each employee away from his work.
Learning and obtaining new professional skills, can act as a great motivation boost. Try to understand and gain insights on your team members’ personal goals. Discuss different growth and developmental paths they can take to harness their skills to obtain better results and progress. Offer mentorship to less-experienced employees and training sessions for more experienced ones, where they can be provided with a fresh perspective on their daily activities.
6. Arrange team building activities
Another great motivation idea that brings great results is office team building activities. Organising outside events with your team, where everyone participates and has fun, doesn’t only bring your employees together and helps them to form stronger bonds between them, but also motivates them to work harder as a team.
Activities to help motivate your team include:
- Buy or cook them lunch or dinner
- Organise a bring your pet to work day
- Organise a corporate charity event (car wash, garage sale) to help them feel part of a good cause
- Give them the days off after overtime
- Organise a sport activity
- Throw a pool party, BBQ or picnic
- Have a funny shirt Friday at work
- Celebrate Halloween, Christmas and any other fun holiday
The goal: Do something fun and memorable.
7. Include remote workers
According to anarticle by connecteam, “BusinessInsider reports that that 50% of the workforce will work remotely by 2021 and with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, this is becoming the norm. However, the methods you’re using to motivate your in-house team won’t exactly work for your remote team. Most remote workers feel disconnected as remote work can be isolating at times. More often than not, they feel out of the loop, voiceless, and even lonely. As a manager, you need to find ways to help your remote team members feel motivated and appreciated.
Here are just a few examples of how you can make this possible:
- Streamline communication
- Make scheduling easier to connect remote and in-office workers
- Be clear on expectations
- Implement remote team building games and activities
- Focus on performance
- Trust that they’ll get the work done, don’t micromanage
- Create a positive company culture
- Give recognition”
In conclusion, as Inc.com suggests, “don’t be afraid to get input from your team members, too. Be direct and ask them, “What would motivate you?” You may be surprised at their answers. And remember, not everyone feels motivated by the same things. Be open to their input and try different tactics. You never know what might work.”
