If you’re a business owner, manager or department head, you’ve probably found yourself, at some point, faced with that age-old conundrum: “How do I get my people to do what I want them to do? They know what their job is. We hired them because of their skills and experience. But I can’t get them to step up to the plate on a consistent basis!”
As a Sales Manager, you’re tasked with achieving your company’s revenue goals, and you’ve tried everything to motivate your people: commissions, bonuses, sales contests, incentives, even the threat of termination. Those tactics may work in the short term but, quite often, they don’t last, and after a while, they begin to adjust their behavior based solely upon this month’s “carrot.” Why?
The reason is that, although the company’s revenue goals should be important to most high-achieving sellers, your people will work much harder for their own personal goals than they will for your corporate goals. As an example, let’s say you’ve established a stretch-goal for your team, and you’ve decided to offer a $5,000.00 bonus to anyone on your team who exceeds their quarterly sales quota. Are your people thinking about the $5,000.00 check, or are they thinking about what they could do with that five thousand dollars: Maybe a nice family vacation? Maybe a tuition payment for their kid’s college education? Maybe part of a down payment on a new home? Maybe just paying off credit cards and getting out of debt? It might simply be the “trophy” and the award to prove to their peers that they’re the best salesperson in the company!
The point is that now the incentive has a personal meaning to the seller, and when the reward has personal significance, your people will work much harder to attain it. Many managers, however, don’t take the time or aren’t in a position to have that conversation with their people because they don’t make an effort - or show the interest - in learning what’s important to each individual on the team. The goals of the individual are more likely personal, while your goals and the goals of the organization are more likely corporate.
Your job as a Manager is to connect the dots between the company’s corporate goals and your teams’ personal goals. Take the time to have one-on-one conversations with each of your sellers to identify a compelling personal goal that matters to them. Then you’ll discover the “why” behind their motivation to do exactly “what” you want them to do!
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Jim brings over 35 years of sales, management and marketing experience to the "training table." He has coached hundreds of business owners, sales executives, managers, and corporations to help them achieve greater levels of success and productivity. His areas of expertise range from sales and management training in the advertising and sports marketing fields to professional and business-to-business services, continuing education, new business development, staff hiring and assessments.
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