How To Motivate Sales Force

In the changing market conditions with new products, innovative marketing strategies and changing customer tastes and preferences creating sales means not only selling products or services, it is about maintaining customer relations to retain the customers and to attract the prospective customers. Before introducing the product to the customer the sales person has to introduce himself to grasp the customer attention.

In most of the cases, sales persons do not show interest and they neglect the customers because they do not get any additional monetary or non-monetary incentives and they have to work under pressure. So in such conditions, any employee wants to escape from fulfilling the job responsibilities. Many organizations do not know the importance of the sales force in creating maximum sales, managers try to force them with authoritarian leadership styles, such sales manager’s approach may result in the short run but it may not motivate the sales force to serve their best by considering the organization as their own. Organization’s strategies and policies, unhealthy peer relations, criticism, high targets, pay structure, workplace politics, manager’s attitude towards sales person, unmet needs like safety and self-actualization, etc show a major effect on the employee performance.

Motivate sales force:

By fulfilling the training needs:

Training is the best part of the employee development programs managers should know the sales persons strengths and weaknesses and should provide training according to their requirements to meet the customer expectations, it fulfills the company’s expectations and it can protect the investment on the sales force.

Training Process:

Identifying the sales force training needs:

Whether the salesperson is a new or existed employee, organizations should know the need for training. Through workplace analysis, the strengths and weakness of the sales force can be identified, which helps in providing training as per their requirements.

Design:

Once the training needs are identified then the next step is designing training programs. It involves providing training for new and existed employees separately.

Implementation:

Providing proper training by assigning qualified faculty and arranging various necessities for training can motivate the employees for the active participation.

Evaluation:   

Evaluation enables the sales managers to know the gap between the training needs, which says how many employees are given training again.

Compensation:

One of the best motivation tools in the organization is providing better compensation, which makes the employees perform better. According to the various motivational theories, all the needs should be fulfilled to motivate the employers such as physiological needs and safety needs, etc. Better compensation policies and pay structure can motivate the sales force.

Financial and nonfinancial methods are used as motivational tools to maximize the sales person’s performance

Financial compensation:

Financial compensation involves monetary benefits such as salary, incentives, bonus, commissions and fringe benefits, etc. It is the widely used compensation method to fulfill the individual requirements and organizational goals. It highly motivates the employees and it can bring out their hidden talents.

Nonfinancial compensation:

Nonfinancial compensation involves non-monetary benefits which are promotions, recognition, job security, safety, opportunities for growth, job enrichment, peer relations and providing training, etc.

Staff meeting:

Regular and simple staff meetings can motivate the sales force. But the meetings should not be very lengthy and should not test the patience of the sales force.

Listen:

Paying attention while listening to the sales person’s problems while they are performing their duties can act as a better motivation tool. It is a great opportunity to make the employees to turn them towards the objectives of the marketing department.

Provide transportation or vehicles:

Many organizations give chance or recruit as sales persons those who have two wheelers, though it temporally minimizes the cost, it shows an effect on the overall sales because such companies may lose potential sales persons then it will become a competitive advantage to the competitors. So providing such facilities not only motivates the sales force but it can act as a competitive advantage.

Provide Tools:

Providing various tools such as customer relationship management software packages, the internet, sales tracking CRM systems make the sales people to easy access and knowing customer data and requirements. Upgrading to the right sales tools and providing to the sales persons with a proper training can motivate the employees to perform better and it can maximize sales within a short duration.

Create a healthy team environment:

Organizations should make the sales persons believe that their success is the result of teamwork only. Creating a healthy team environment such as peer relations, team meetings, team outings and gatherings can maximize the spirit among the team members.