Motivation is key to unlocking the potential of your sales force, enabling each member to contribute to the success of a business. As a sales manager or director, it is important to keep your team members motivated and get them excited about reaching their potential to drive business performance and achieve goals.
Motivating your sales force, however, is not always easy. In fact, there is no one-size-fit-all approach to employee motivation, especially when each person requires different incentives and motivational tactics. Here are five ways to effectively motivate your team and increase their productivity.
1. Build trust
A core ingredient for driving motivation is trust. Trust is established when leaders create an environment of openness and honesty within the team, where employees feel comfortable to share ideas, voice their concerns and collaborate to build effective teams at work. Leaders should also let their employees know that they have their best interests at heart, by diligently listening to their feedback and giving them opportunities to grow and reach their potential. This will cultivate meaningful relationships and give employees a sense of belonging, keeping your sales force motivated to perform well.
2. Cultivate a sense of purpose
Did you know that companies with the highest levels of employee engagement were 22% more profitable and 21% more productive than those with low levels of engagement? One important way of engaging employees is to involve them in the direction and strategic goals of the company. As a leader, it is important to let your employee know how their skills and expertise could complement the team and contribute to the company’s overarching goals. In fact, breaking down silos between departments such as sales, marketing, customer support and IT is a good way of cultivating a sense of purpose among employees, as everyone works together towards a common goal.
3. Set specific and realistic goals
To keep your sales force motivated, leaders need to set specific and realistic goals for their team members, be it around personal or professional development. But remember, setting and monitoring goals is not enough. Leaders need to provide guidance and support in helping them achieve these goals, and do regular check-in to address any pressing issues.
It is also important for leaders to communicate with each team member and figure out what works best for each of them. Different people are motivated in different ways. Some are driven by achieving a quota, while some are motivated by team-wide sales contests or qualitative improvements.
4. Provide a healthy work-life balance
Several studies have shown that a healthy and balanced lifestyle is linked to workplace productivity. In fact, the productivity of your team is influenced by the amount of sleep and exercise they get, and their diet among other factors. Therefore, it is important for managers to observe the well-being of each team member, and make work-life balance a priority. This will help create a more loyal and energized workforce, leading to improved performance in the workplace.
5. Create a culture of recognition
Employees feel valued and recognized whenever their leaders appreciate them for their work. From monetary incentives to a simple “Thank you”, recognition and rewards inspire people to constantly do well and increase their productivity at work.
According to a recent study, developing rewards and recognitions programs around prepaid incentives can help employers retain, satisfy and engage their current workforce. In a digital age where cashless payments have improved the purchasing process, companies should consider building a digital incentive program which offer a range of useful options. Companies can issue incentives on a physical or virtual prepaid card, where employees have the option to purchase whatever they want with their bonuses, and enjoy the convenience of digital payments.
Wirecard’s Sales Incentive Card, for instance, is tailored for companies to effectively motivate their sales force. By serving as a tool for employee engagement, this card helps to optimize the performance of sales teams through incentives. Companies have the flexibility of either sending the same sum to multiple recipients or crediting a different amount to each card safely via the Wirecard Enterprise Portal. In addition, the company-branded cards can help to strengthen the brand and increase their staff’s loyalty.
On the other hand, your sales staff do not need a bank account to access their rewards. They can readily spend them anywhere that Mastercard or Visa is accepted, and use the Wirecard’s Payout mobile app to activate their card and check their balance and transactions. If the card should ever be lost or stolen, they can block it quickly and easily.
Ultimately, the success of your sales force depend on a combination of factors that keep them motivated and make them willing to go the extra mile. By leveraging the right strategies and digital incentives, companies can keep their sales representatives loyal, engaged and successful – catapulting your sales to a whole new level.
Learn more about Wirecard Sales Incentive Card here.
