What is the variable?
It’s your team. Sales leaders often spend so much time focusing on their products and execution (which is important) that they don’t address the efficiency of their team. If you have put together an unmotivated or unhappy group of people, all the hard work you put into your products and services will be in vain.
The good news? You are largely in control of how your team performs. Salespeople will often output the exact results that align with their compensation. While other factors such as vacation time, positive reinforcement and acknowledgement are important, the first step to creating a team that delivers results is aligning their compensation with their expected output.
Let’s look at two key points in further detail:
1) Appropriate Compensation Plan for Your Team
Align your team’s compensation plan to reflect the goals, expectations, results and activities you want your team to produce. Salespeople are notorious for doing exactly what they are paid to do.
Also, it’s important to track and pay attention to your key performance indicators. Consider the number of calls you expect your team to make, the number of prospects they are expected to turn into customers, direct sales, revenue targets, and any other indicators that are important to your business.
When you align compensation with your team’s expected output of key indicators, you create the atmosphere needed for a motivated, highly effective sales team. ← Click To Tweet
2) Appropriate Compensation for Yourself
All too often the sales leaders are at odds with the sales team because the leader’s compensation is out of sync with the rest of the team’s compensation. As a result, the leaders and the sales team aren’t able to work together in harmony because the compensation does not reflect the collective goal of both parties.
Either you or your sales team will be left with the feeling that the current compensation plan is not reflective of the work that is expected. When this occurs, motivation dwindles and negativity begins to manifest.
When your sales team believes that they are receiving fair compensation, they hold both you and your business in higher regard. As a result, they are more likely to produce the results that are expected. Don’t underestimate a team’s ability to sense that their leader does not have their best interests at heart. If they believe that their compensation is inadequate, they will question your leadership, their own loyalty, and their desire to make a positive impact for your business.
To learn the best ways to motivate your sales team to produce results, take a look at our free gift!
What would you say is the best way to motivate a sales team?