The successful acquisition of new customers is the heart of every business, and a sales force is the lifeblood that keeps the heart functioning optimally.
This is according ot Ronica Moodliar, GM of Talksure’s sales division, who says: “Sales is incredibly tough and the road to success is paved with daily rejection which leaves managers with the difficult task of keeping their teams fired up!”
She adds that an unmotivated salesforce will not deliver and if they fail, the business is unlikely to survive.
She recommends the following five ways to motivate your salesforce:
Establish Trust: Trust is the foundation of all relationships and it is no different in the workplace. If your team trusts you, believes in you and feels as though you have their backs, it will show in their performance. If they don’t feel safe and secure it won’t matter how much money or incentives are thrown at them, they will not be successful long term.
Find Their Why: There needs to be something bigger that your people are working towards. Something that keeps them dialling no matter how many “No’s!” they face in a day. It’s their ‘why’. Why are they doing what they doing? Is it to be financially free? To save for a holiday? Buy a new car? Build their mom a house? Once they have discovered their ‘why’, use sales goals to show them how they can make their ‘why’ become a reality.
Set Clear Goals: It is near impossible for stressed individuals to operate at 100%. Remove the pressure of monthly targets by helping your team break up their goals into clear, attainable smaller, bit-size chunks, daily. It will keep them focussed and will reduce stress. Remind them that by achieving their daily sales goals, they are likely to achieve their long-term personal goals.
Create Competition: Sales people are naturally competitive so tap into that! You don’t always have to dangle a juicy carrot – just the recognition alone can be a powerful motivator. One of the ways Talksure encourages healthy competition between sales agents is through Gamification. Points, badges, leader boards, awards – all of this ignites excitement, makes for a fun environment and boosts engagement. Best of all? When it’s done, they can’t wait for the next ‘competition’ to start!
Build A Sense of Pride: Breaking your salesforce into teams and allowing them to create their own sense of belonging will foster pride, unity, achievement and camaraderie, all essential tools for a motivated salesforce. At Talksure, our teams have created such unique identities that they even have war cries! It’s fun and light-hearted and gets results!
It’s important to remember that everybody is different. Different personalities are driven by different things. Finding a way to inspire everyone can be tough, but according to Ronica these tried and tested strategies have not only seen Talksure grow exponentially over the past few years but have also seen them recognised as the Best Large Sized Contact Center at the 2019 EMEA Contact Center World Awards, held in Vienna, Austria earlier this year.
She adds that there are lot of factors that affect motivation – both internal and external. “Everyone won’t be motivated ALL the time; we are human and even the most ambitious, tenacious individuals will experience highs and lows. It is because of this that I believe that the first point – trust – is the foundation of a motivated salesforce; all the other tips I have given you will simply not work outside of trust. So, put that first and the rest will follow,” Ronica concludes.