Your team’s morale and loyalty are being tested as a result of layoffs, pay cuts, and tight budgets, while typical incentives like bonuses and salary raises are unavailable. Here are some suggestions for keeping your employees loyal and motivated without incurring additional costs.
It’s simpler to encourage and enthuse individuals during boom times since there’s always the prospect of a bonus or promotion. When cash flow is tight and the danger of having to decrease the workforce is always present, the picture changes dramatically. When decision-makers feel threatened and are constantly under the stress of being responsible for their own livelihood and that of all those who work for them, it is all too easy to make decisions that may appear to be correct in the short term but have far-reaching negative consequences for themselves and their workforce.
There is always a contradiction when things are going well economically. Money can be used as a major motivator by team and organizational leaders. The bonuses were sometimes mind-blowingly large. Staff were persuaded to believe that meeting targets would result in cash incentives, and this appeared to retain well-qualified and capable employees on the payroll. The reality, according to many of my employees, was quite different. When there is lots of work available, people feel secure, knowing that they can always hunt for and find another job if things get rough at their current job. They may be more devoted to themselves than to their company. When unrealistic bonus expectations are set, it can lead to enormous demotivation and a loss of capable employees to other companies.
Having experienced, motivated workers who are as committed to making the firm a success as the Senior Management Team is critical in times of financial crisis. As the rivalry becomes increasingly fierce, the teams that collaborate creatively and cohesively will emerge victorious. If organizations are to thrive in the long run, they must have high morale, excitement, and crucial skills and abilities. Money is scarce, and the security of having a job in the short term is insufficient to ensure that your company is prepared to weather the storm and thrive after the crisis has passed.
There has been a great deal of research on what inspires people. Money is a consideration, although it is rarely first on people’s minds.
Here are my top 10 guidelines for ensuring that your workforce develops excitement and dedication; they work just as well at the departmental level as they do at the corporate level.
1) It is critical that employees believe in the organization’s mission.
Individuals will experience stress and discontent as a result of a misalignment of values between the corporation and the workforce.
- How well-known is your company’s future vision, as well as its purpose to achieve it?
- How can you get your staff involved in defining and implementing your values across the firm or department?
2) Be trustworthy
Trust must be earned, and trust between the leader and those who are led is essential. When everything is in place, the team will be able to tackle even the most difficult situations collectively. The future is grim without it. We live in an era when politicians and many business executives are deceitful or sparing with the truth. It’s nearly tough to re-establish trust once it’s been shattered. People aren’t as frail as you may believe. Being truthful does not imply being ruthless. Even if the message is unpopular, stating the point plainly and being upfront is significantly less detrimental in the long term than attempting to make things appear to be something they are not.
3) Maintain Consistency
Dealing with inconsistencies in expectations or signals, or people who swing back and forth, develops a debilitating sense of insecurity. Making decisions should be done in a consistent manner. Staff should have confidence that choices are made for the proper reasons and that they will only be revised if there is a valid justification for doing so. It is never appropriate to be moody or have favorites on a team. In a successful team or company, ego has no place.
4) Recognize and appreciate each individual’s contribution
Feeling appreciated as a person by the organization’s success is frequently rated as a more effective motivator than money alone. This must be done from the heart rather than through a mechanical technique.
- What possibilities exist for people’ contributions to be recognized by line managers and those further up the chain of command?
- Who recognizes when people are working hard or when they are doing a good job?
- Is it just accident that your company values its employees, or are managers trained to foster this trait?
5) Give employees a voice that is heard.
When employees are under a lot of stress, it’s because they believe they have little influence over what’s going on. Providing people with the opportunity to speak up, to be heard, and to have a true voice in what happens can greatly reduce stress and discontent.
Many choices are made without consulting the people who perform the work on a regular basis. Using their knowledge, experience, and expertise can help you save time and money. It makes so much sense on so many levels, but it is frequently overlooked.
6) Establish Explicit Realistic Goals
Expectations that are not met lead to a great deal of frustration on both sides. Only make promises you know you can keep, and be clear about what you expect from them. It is significantly simpler to conduct difficult conversations when an organization has clear, high, explicit expectations of its employees. When people believe they have been treated fairly, they are significantly more likely to learn the teachings. They can’t hide behind their outrage that things were unfair, so they must accept responsibility for their part in the circumstance.
7) Provide staff with a sense of security
One of the most basic wants is certainty or safety. Even when there is a lot of uncertainty, it is feasible to give people a sense of control and safety. The language chosen has a significant impact on whether or not individuals feel safe. Being honest and including others early in the process can be quite beneficial. The most tension is caused by not knowing and feeling as if you are being kept in the dark. What makes the difference is not so much what you do as it is how you do it. For example, redundancy is likely to cause a great deal of tension and confusion. This can be avoided by incorporating people in the conversation early on and keeping them up to date with the latest information. Providing assistance in preparing people to return to the job market makes a huge impact in their experience.
8) Involve employees in the solution-finding process.
As I write this article, a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy twenty years ago is treating its whole personnel to a weekend of celebration to reward them for their contributions to the company’s success. Over 300 individuals are expected to board the train. When the company was on the verge of closing, management sat down with the employees to brainstorm alternatives. The situation appeared to be hopeless. As a result of the discussions, everyone agreed to take a considerable wage cut rather than deplete the company of the talent and knowledge needed to bring it around. They collaborated to find innovative answers. The road wasn’t easy, but twenty years later, the company has grown from strength to strength and is well positioned to weather the current storm.
The team becomes tremendously powerful when each member takes responsibility not only for their own contribution but also for doing everything they can to help each other participate fully. Creating power teams based on this idea can happen by mistake, but with the correct training and support, it can become the norm. The cost of developing the training considerably outweighs the benefits of every team inside a company becoming a successful power team. Are you actively promoting and training Power Teams in your company?
Your employees are your most valuable asset; they individually bring unique skills and knowledge, most of which is untapped. Are you making the most of the time you have?
9) To motivate your employees, you must first understand what motivates them.
If you pay attention, you’ll be able to figure out what motivates them. The words people use and the behaviors they conduct might reveal what drives and motivates them internally. It’s a lot easier to speak their language and give them a chance to succeed once you understand where they’re coming from. Your department or company has significantly greater potential to succeed when they are flourishing professionally.
10) Never Underestimate The Importance Of Saying Thank You
Thank you notes that acknowledge people’s efforts make a huge impact in how they feel. When the person receiving the note knows it is truly meant, a simple word of thanks for a job well done takes on a whole new meaning.
In our personal life, a bouquet of flowers or a small gift in appreciation of someone going above and beyond makes us feel good, and the same idea applies in the workplace. What makes the difference is taking the time and trouble to acknowledge someone’s effort. If you’re the boss, pay attention to who is working hard, helping others, and contributing their efforts to success. The value of a thank you cannot be measured.
The majority of these ideas are inexpensive or free to adopt. It’s more about your mindset and approach. Training and coaching can be quite beneficial in getting things started, but the expenditures are insignificant when compared to the potential rewards.
Ignoring these principles will result in a disgruntled, nervous, and agitated staff that will work harder in the short term out of fear of losing their jobs. In the medium to long run, it will be the teams of employees who are healthy, happy, well-motivated, and enthusiastic who will ensure the market’s continued success.
Long after the market rebounds, the reputation your company establishes in how it deals with employees will linger on. When there is a lack of highly qualified and experienced workers, organizations that are known to care for and develop their employees will have an easier time attracting the right personnel. It’s entirely up to you!
Gina Gardiner is a top leadership coach in the United Kingdom. She specializes in cultivating leadership potential at all levels, from emerging to senior management. She is particularly interested in the topic of work-life balance. Her websites can be found at
In 2021, how do you motivate a sales team?
A motivated salesperson is a successful salesperson. An outstanding salesperson in your company is distinguished from an average one by their zeal, desire to embrace opportunities, and tenacious persistence. These characteristics necessitate fuel in order for salespeople to perform at their best. Motivation is the fuel, and it comes in a variety of forms related to incentives and rewards for a job well done.
For many years, researchers have been evaluating the company’s sales and pay data and performing tests with real salespeople. It goes over everything from pay to compensation to personality development to help salesmen understand what inspires and pushes them.
You can only impact your team’s sales success in two ways as a leader: their skill set (what they can accomplish) and their motivation (how often or passionately they do it).
Improving the skill set of your staff is a practical, step-by-step objective procedure. You may evaluate what areas require improvement and act accordingly by examining performance data and comparing them to past records.
Motivation, on the other hand, is a lot more nuanced. Not only are there numerous external elements that influence motivation, but each individual requires unique rewards and motivational strategies. Salespeople are more engaged throughout the year when they receive quarterly performance and over-achievement bonuses.
According to the findings, it is also critical to pay attention to the timing of bonus distribution. A reward provided at the conclusion of a period is more motivating than one given at the start. Managers should be cautious when changing and setting quotas based on annual income.
It’s a no-brainer that encouraged sales staff to enjoy their work more and do a better job, which led to a healthier bottom line. Happiness at work might be difficult to come by, but there are a number of steps we can do to make it more likely.
As a leader, you may take the following steps to keep your sales staff motivated and moving forward:
Public displays of appreciation
If you feel valued for your work, it’s a big factor in how happy you are at work.
Any organizational plan to boost motivation at work must include appreciation. Demonstrate that you care about your sales team. Some of the following steps can be taken:
- Tell employees you trust them, then back up your words by demonstrating that you do.
- Have an appreciation day once a month for staff who don’t necessarily have the best sales that month.
Set a destination, not a path
We all crave a sense of ownership, which is why it’s critical to give staff a sense of control over their initiatives. This is accomplished by giving your salespeople a goal to work toward, but allowing them to decide what and when work has to be done to meet the goal.
Transparency between employee and boss
For your employee, a sense of ownership can be quite motivating. The team leader should be given primary responsibility for any new project that occurs. Giving team members the opportunity to lead the project fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration.
Enhance efficiency
Employees that are dissatisfied with their work pay a price for routine. There is a cost to achieving efficiency goals. It comes at the cost of lower employee satisfaction.
It is best to identify and automate boring daily jobs if they exist.
Automate to save time
Take charge of your day with these time-saving sales strategies that will help you focus your meetings and calls while also assisting you with administrative responsibilities. Many sales tasks and your sales force may be automated using CRM software like Deskera CRM.
Money does bring happiness
Employee happiness is heavily influenced by non-financial factors. A regular payment, on the other hand, motivates a huge number of employees. Money and remuneration are the most important factors that inspire and satisfy employees.
Providing benefits
Even if your employees are well compensated, there will be times in their careers when nothing matters more to them than the perks your firm offers.
Wellness programs, health insurance, child care assistance, healthcare, vacation time, nutrition counseling, vision insurance, and employee discounts are all valuable benefits.
Show Gratitude
Positive professional interactions are crucial to their happiness. Saying thank you and articulating why you’re appreciative goes a long way toward influencing employee attitudes toward work.
Fewer meetings
Some people are scared to tell their coworkers that some meetings are a waste of time. This problem can be solved by having fewer but more structured meetings. He also believes that corporations must encourage employees to take more time off so they can network.
Keep expectations clear
Workplace uncertainty, particularly when it comes to what is expected of you, may be unpleasant and depressing. It is critical to express your expectations to your employees in a clear and concise manner. It’s best to get in touch with your direct reports. Is it possible that they don’t understand what’s expected of them?
Know thy sales team
Understanding the personalities of the people on your team can help you keep them happy and meet their requirements. Take the effort to learn about your employees’ skills and limitations.
Keep a positive work culture
Not only would a workplace dedicated to promoting happiness enhance income and productivity. It also creates a vibrant workplace atmosphere in which your teammates look forward to coming to work. Money is a powerful motivator. A joyful and good culture, on the other hand, keeps the sales crew motivated.
Give work deeper meaning
Understanding the social purpose of your product or service, as well as the influence it has on individuals and communities, provides true drive. Collecting customer reviews and anecdotes about what they’ve accomplished can be beneficial. Existing customers’ stories about how your product or service has made their lives easier instill confidence in potential customers.
Make people feel valued
To feel motivated and know that their work is valued by their company or boss, most people need to find meaning in their work. A excellent place to start is with praise and encouragement. A stronger conclusion is to explain why the job they’ve done is important. This can be accomplished by:
- Offer incentives other than money, like as time off, public recognition, and opportunity to share.
Emphasize collaboration before competition
By their very nature, salespeople are competitive. Too much competition with one another can sometimes lead to a loss of drive. It may cause individuals to dismiss or resent their coworkers.
Collaboration, rather than rivalry, is more effective at keeping everyone motivated. The idea is to compete against other competitors rather than against one another.
Encourage and recognize initiative
Encourage salespeople to communicate business-growth ideas at all times. Allow them to put their ideas to the test. Increase market share and find new clients by rewarding idea generation.
Team building activities
Team-building exercises are usually a lot of fun. Research has shown that combining activities improves staff morale and retention. Encourage your team to have fun, interact, and develop skills spontaneously.
Guide their career
Link today’s activities to tomorrow’s profession to drive salespeople. Assist them in charting the path to their career objectives. A clearly defined growth path provides salespeople with a vision of how to progress.
Learning Curve
If salespeople are given the opportunity to learn more about their product, industry, services, goods, customers, and other topics that will help them do better at work and in life, they will be more motivated. Encourage them to continue their education. Send them to webinars and podcasts that are relevant to them. Give them books to read.
Be a committed strategic coach
Sales managers are frequently the primary coaches for salespeople. Showing a commitment to mentoring salespeople is the most effective method to inspire them. Time should be spent praising, developing, and strengthening their abilities.
Foster critical relationships
Bringing groups together to improve communication, work more frequently on customer-focused projects, and celebrate group triumphs helps to create better connections. By enhancing inter-departmental ties, sales executives can assist salespeople and other departments in achieving improved morale.
Manage with flexibility
You must manage salespeople in a way that is compatible with their work style in order to motivate them. Every person has their own preferences for how they want to be managed. Talking to them one-on-one, getting to know their values and basic needs for personal development can help you manage them in a more personalised and personalized way.
Fuel them
Salespeople have demanding work and personal lives. They may become burned out as a result of this. It can result in an unbalanced diet, exercise, and sleep. Even the most motivated people might get demotivated as a result of it.
Sales managers must keep a close eye on the wellness of their employees. Encourage them to take time to care for their mental health, exercise, and relax in healthy ways. Provide healthful meals on-site and enlighten them about on-the-go nutrition.
During a recession, how do you attract customers?
Covid-19 has triggered a prolonged recession and thrown the United States into a financial catastrophe. According to experts, this crisis is worse than the Great Depression and will have long-term consequences for the American economy. All firms are affected by recessions, which provide enormous obstacles. However, there are a few marketing methods that firms may use to help them emerge stronger from the crisis.
1. Do not slash the marketing budget right away.
When faced with an economic crisis, most businesses would lower their marketing budget, which is precisely why not decreasing the marketing budget is a sensible marketing strategy. If all of your competitors are decreasing their marketing expenses but your company is fine-tuning and continuing its efforts, your company could see an increase in revenue and get a greater market share.
What do you say to keep your team motivated?
People can be motivated to fully engage in their work in a variety of ways, but one of the most potent sources of motivation is how their superiors treat them. Workplace culture is quickly becoming the focal point of employee engagement. Your staff worry more than ever about your opinion and what you say from time to time these days.
What you say to your employee says a lot about who you are and what values you hold. With the things you say to your employees while team building in Melbourne, you can establish you’re either a boss or a leader. Since saying nothing at all is a no-no, here are some enticing phrases to help you motivate your team members to achieve your organization’s primary goals.
“Feel free to come to my office anytime.
Employees will feel more connected to their bosses if they know they have unrestricted access to them. They’ll feel more at ease taking on problems and exhibiting initiative if they know they’ll get help from their bosses. This statement also aids in the removal of communication obstacles in Melbourne team building.
“You can ask me any question
Another remark that opens your doors and adds to the feeling of belonging among your personnel. This encourages your staff to put in extra effort since they know they’ll have all of the resources and support they need to succeed. Your leadership’s transparency and trustworthiness are also emphasized in the statement.
“I’ll look into that and give you an update
You can use this phase to give yourself more time to resolve their query rather than shutting them down when they ask for anything at an unsuitable time. Also, when you say anything, be sure you mean it and follow through. Otherwise, you risk instilling suspicion in your job.
“There’s good news and also bad news
When you have to deliver bad news to your staff, it’s always a good idea to lessen the blow by pointing out the positive aspects of the situation. With this statement, you won’t have to worry about telling your staff the truth about things like declining sales, a failed deal, or the company parting ways with someone.
Another effective justification for keeping your staff informed without shocking or surprising them. You may deliver your employees bad news without hurting their egos to inspire them during difficult times. Even if things aren’t going well, this phrase will help you set good expectations.
“Here’s your area of weakness that you need to work on
To reduce friction and reluctance to change, be courteous while criticizing your team members while team-building in Melbourne. You can begin by thanking them for their efforts and accomplishments thus far, and then tell them how they might improve particular elements of their performances to get even better results.
“Here’s an assessment of how well you’re living up to the company’s expectations
You should always provide your staff frequent feedback on how well they’re meeting the company’s goals. Consistent constructive feedback assists you in setting expectations and instilling your business culture in your personnel. It also makes them feel more connected to the firm and more invested in its success.
“This is quite complicated for me. What would you do in my shoes?
While team-building in Melbourne, authentic leaders are never hesitant to expose their flaws and limitations. It’s critical that you explain your feelings to your staff, as well as the reasoning for them. Your staff need a deeper understanding of why you think the way you do and make the judgments you do.
“Can you give me your opinion on this?
In many cases, the contributions of your employees might provide you with useful information. Even if it makes you appear less knowledgeable, it’s critical that you express your gratitude for their contributions. With this statement, you may broaden your horizons while also increasing the sense of belonging among your employees.
“I trust your sense of judgment
Another deft method to obtain useful information from your staff without making them feel uncomfortable. Taking this strategy also helps to build trust between you and your staff by emphasizing the importance of their contributions. Collaboration and cooperation are boosted when employees have a greater sense of trust in one another.
“You’ll do great
How much you believe in your employees has a big impact on their performance. Instead of breathing down their necks, tell them that you want to make sure they have the support and resources they need to succeed in their jobs. If you don’t believe in your staff, their confidence will be shaken, and team morale will suffer.
“It’s ‘We’ not ‘I’
If your employees believe they are part of a close-knit group that watches out for one another, they will perform better. This phrase is motivating because it implies that other team members will always be there to assist you and complement your skills and flaws.
“Many thanks
It is impossible to overstate the importance of making your team members feel valued. Recognition and gratitude, according to several research, are extremely effective motivators. Financial incentives may not have as much of an influence on your employees’ morale and engagement as a strong sense of belonging. You should make it a habit to thank your personnel on a regular basis.
“You’ve been instrumental to the success of this project
This is one of the most effective methods to express gratitude to your staff. Praise and recognition should be a cornerstone of your Melbourne company culture and team building. When your employees are constantly encouraged and recognized, they are more likely to go above and beyond to ensure the company’s success.
“That’s great!
Instead of simply saying “OK” or nodding, utilize this remark more frequently during team meetings when employees make insightful suggestions. This will allow for more insightful contributions and boost team morale. You can motivate your team to come up with better solutions by using this statement.
Conclusion
These sentences have the power to transform a dreary, drab workplace into one that is dynamic, alive, and motivating. These phrases are frequently used by genuine leaders for team building in order to propel their organization to greater heights.
How do you keep a sales staff motivated?
Is there a culture of complacency in your sales department? Are your sales reps happy with their current situation, or are they forgetting things, making too many assumptions, or missing opportunities? Are you noticing a shift in your reps’ mindset from “hunting” to “farming,” or have you employed “farmers” that you can’t seem to turn into “hunters”? Here are five strategies for re-energizing your team or specific individuals on it, whether you have veteran salespeople who have lost their drive or newer reps you’re fighting to encourage.
- First and foremost, sit down with the salesmen in question to determine why they appear disinterested or are having poor outcomes. There are a variety of reasons why this can be the case, including:
- They’re having personal problems in this situation, you should have an open, off-the-record chat with them to let them explain what’s going on and come up with a plan that supports them and helps them get back on track, or provides them a break during a difficult period.
- They are uninterested Provide them with increasingly challenging duties and more difficult-to-attain goals, as well as opportunities to contribute in other ways to the firm that pique their interest and excitement.
- They’re overworked – These people are just trying to stay afloat and keep things under control. They may become paralyzed and exhausted if this is the case. Assist them in prioritizing and/or redistributing some of their responsibilities.
- They don’t like their current position – They may need to be transferred to another department within your organization or given extra responsibilities outside of selling to provide relief or stimulation, or they may not be a good fit.
- They are unaware that a problem exists or that it is being addressed you must have an open and honest dialogue with them about the issue and build a strategy to address it, with regular follow-up and assessment to keep them on track.
- Communicate your goals to your salesmen. If the bar is now set too low, this could entail raising your expectations.
- Set clear expectations for responsibilities, the duties that must be done in those roles, and what the salespeople must do to succeed in their jobs. Maintain your expectations and inform others if they change.
- Regularly meet with salespeople one-on-one to ensure that they are completing their jobs, exceeding expectations, and that all of their inquiries are answered, as well as to identify any issues or pain areas as soon as possible.
- Require precise reporting from your salespeople on a regular basis to ensure that they are meeting their activity and quota targets.
- You might be behaving like a smug boss. Make management a priority: get more involved with your sales team, keep up with frequent meetings and reporting, and teach your employees to be accountable.
- Coach and train your employees on a regular basis. Role-play actions in your sales process, such as elevator pitches, cold calling, and presenting presentations/demonstrations, utilizing scenarios. Switch to buyer/seller mode and practice dealing with objections, qualifying inquiries, spotting competitive landmines, and so on.
- Join salespeople on cold calls and ride-alongs every now and then to observe how they’re doing. Because you, their manager, may be involved, they will be more prepared, and you will be able to judge what they need help with or what they could instruct their lower-performing colleagues on.
- Set up a public sales leaderboard and/or victory reports to display sales reps’ positions among their peers and encourage competitiveness.
- Set numerical goals within specific time periods (day/week/month/year), either in terms of money amounts or the number/type of tasks that must be done.
- Reward your sales agents and make them feel important by celebrating their small victories as well as their major ones, such as:
- Prizes include a case of their favorite beer, tickets to a local game or show, a new gadget, gift card, company-branded goods, and so on.
- Internal competitions, such as the most successful salesman on a particular campaign, the best at upselling an opportunity, the most tradeshow contacts, and so on. Not only will the team be motivated by the recognition, but it will also allow high performers in specific areas to share their success ideas with the rest of the team.
- Break up bonuses; rather than waiting until the end of the year, try monthly or quarterly bonuses; these are more reachable and provide continual motivation.
- Congratulate the sales representatives on a job well done. Even a small message or a slap on the back goes a long way in demonstrating that you appreciate their efforts.
Use these strategies to uncover the source of your salespeople’s complacency, establish individualized improvement plans, and re-energize your team. Many of these tactics can boost motivation even if your reps aren’t obviously complacent and are performing at a satisfactory level. Never stop concentrating on your own and your sales team’s development; this is how top-performing sales companies develop and retain their best individuals while maintaining a competitive edge.
Do you have any suggestions for motivating a sales team or personal experience with it? Let us know what you think in the comments area below.