How to Motivate Your Sales Force

2007-10-15 12:53:47

( Computers )



Prerequisites of a Successful Sales Force Organization

Building a highly efficient and effective sales force is a combination of several factors.

You need to hire the right people for your sales force. You should select individuals who are naturally sociable, aggressive, diplomatic, flexible and have an overall positive outlook. People in your sales force need to be resourceful and highly responsive to the consumer environment, so that they can spot great sales opportunities ahead of the competition.

You need to enhance their selling skills with sales force training, which can come after the hiring process. Your sales force needs to be very familiar with your products and services. They must know how to deliver sales presentations and negotiate properly with clients, as well as handle rejections and complaints.

But there is still one more thing you need before sending your sales force to the field. You need to give them the right motivation so that they will feel empowered to persevere in their sales efforts even when the going gets rough.

Effective Motivation Techniques

One of the best motivators is the compensation that your sales force will earn after successfully landing an important deal. You must ensure that their salaries, commissions and bonuses are commensurate to the trouble they put up with to win new business for your company. Your rewards standards must at least be up to, or be even better than, industry standards.

You can give rewards not just for landing a great deal, but also for exceeding the sales quotas. And for people who consistently perform above par, consider giving them additional incentives such as all-expense-paid trips, free appliances or gadgets, or interest-free car plans.

Material rewards alone don't completely motivate your sales force. You also need to give them due recognition for their efforts through awarding ceremonies or simply by posting their achievements on company premises and on electronic memos. Make sure that everyone in the organization knows who these high achievers are.

Another important way to motivate is by giving top performers the responsibility of training and managing junior members of the sales force. This gives them the message that you value their services and assure them of a steadily growing career with your company.

You may also want to consider giving opportunities for your sales force to invest in your company's stocks. With stock options, your top performing salespeople will find more fulfillment in being part of the organization, and will definitely boost their morale to continue raking in more sales for your company.


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