Sales Manager Challenges: Motivating Your Sales Team Part 1
Sales manager challenges will be the subject for the next few videos on the blog. Starting with motivation.
I have split this into two parts. So it is easier to digest and gives you time to process the information and the implications for you and the team.
There are key leverage points for sales managers to truly be high performing. One is the ability to be able to ” motivate” and “inspire” your team to success. The others include helping them build their skills and mindset to become unbeatable …and not just when you are there.
Getting the right people in position and then coaching them to success is vital. So OK you might not have recruited them so where do you start to improve their perfomance….and ultimatley your?
Check out the video and post your comments on the blog,
Have a great weekend,
To you and your teams success,
Sahrin and Denise
Popularity: 44% [?]
Sales Manager Challenges: Stay Tuned
Sales manager challenges are many and varied as we found out over the past few weeks. A big thankyou to every one who has filled out our surveys and given us feedback on questions you would like answered.
Have a quick look at the video above . We will be posting a series of them over the next few days.
Look out for the next one before the end of the week,
Best Wishes
Denise and Sharon
Popularity: 35% [?]
Taking the Time to Learn..is it Worth it?
I was talking to a friend of mine about development and how important it is to keep learning no matter what level you are at. He shared with me a great story about golf ( his passion)
I wonder what you will think of this one…enjoy!
The flight was uneventful and I landed at Glasgow Airport – off to see a client and help them with growing their turnover and profits.
And as…
The director of the client company was an avid golfer he’d suggested I arrive the day before and we’d play golf; talk; go out for dinner and generally have a good time before the day of the consultancy.
Naturally…
I agreed – playing golf at a top Scottish course was a certain “Yes – I’ll be there!”
And so…
There I was ambling through the airport concourse pulling my wheeled suitcase in one hand and dragging my wheeled golf-bag in the other.
I arrived at the taxi rank – and waited my turn.
The next free taxi arrived and the helpful taxi-driver put my suitcase and golf clubs in the boot (trunk)
As you might imagine…
We got into a conversation about golf – the driver was a keen golfer too. And he told me a story which was just so insightful.
Here it is…
A young man was taking lessons with a golf professional. The young man had only just taken up the game of golf.
It wasn’t going well. He was spraying balls all over the practice ground and getting more and more frustrated with every attempted shot.
Finally…
In a fit of irritation he started swearing. Not at the professional but at his inability to produce the shot he intended.
It was at this point…
The professional uttered the phrase that, in the taxi driver’s retelling caught my attention, imagination and memory
“You’re not good enough to be that angry!”
WOW!
Isn’t this a fabulous expression – and one you and I can have as a ‘stop’ anytime we find ourselves frustrated with our results.
If we haven’t…
Taken the time to learn what we need to learn; taken the time to practise our skills – then is it any wonder – at times – we won’t get the results we desire. There’s no point being self-angry if we’re not good enough – yet!
An intersting story don’t you think. It is so easy to get angry and annoyed. when things don’t go our way. On reflection though have we put in the time effort and persistence to make it work?
Post on the blog and let me know…go on don’t be shy!
Have a great week
To you and your teams success
Best Wishes
Denise
Popularity: 34% [?]
The Power of Patterns and Programmes? How Many Do You Have?
You know what it is like when you remove unwanted programmes from the computer or give it a good de-frag. Or at home you finally spring clean the garage. Throw all the stuff out. It gives you a boost of energy. Am I right? Imagine if you did that with some of the useless stuff you are running now.
Here are some to microscope:
1. Your response to a specific person or situation
Is there someone/something you respond to in the same way – every time? It’s become a habit pattern. Could you try a different approach and see what happens?
2. The way you do whatever you do each and every day
Is there a different way to do it?
3. What you wear/eat/drink
Can you try something new?
4. The roads you travel
Is there a different way to get to the same destination?
And you know…
When we try something new – we learn something new – isn’t that true? we expand. New possibilities emerge. That may just lead to new events circumstances….or even sales!
Perhaps there’s a better way to scratch that itch after all.
Have a great weekend
To you and your teams success,
Best Wishes
Denise
Popularity: 35% [?]
Should We Get it Right the First Time?
Should We Get it Right the First Time? it’s an intersting question don’t you think? As sales managers we always expect it of our team.
I think we get misled by people telling us this – even posters say it –and it’s still not a good idea!
You’ve seen them – haven’t you?
You know the ones I mean – they bear the legend: “Get it right first time!”
Now…
I don’t know about you – but I’m struggling to recall anything worthwhile I got right the VERY FIRST TIME I tried it – can you think of any occasion when you did?
And of course the problem is that when we have the ‘right first time’ thinking – it can stop us attempting something new.
Perhaps…
The slogan means – get it right first time – after you’ve mastered how to do it. If it does mean that – then all well and good!
However…
You and I know the problems with slogans, don’t we? They’re insidious, they creep their way into our memories – popping into our conscious minds whenever the start of the slogan is uttered – for example:
Beans means XXXXX
The car in front is a XXXXXX
A pint and half of full cream milk goes XXXX XXXXX XXX
A Finger of XXXXX is just enough to…
And so…
As a character from Hill Street Blues uttered weekly – “Let’s be careful out there” – and take a moment to decide which of these slogans; especially the motivational ones we allow into our conscious – because once they’re in there – they can be a real ping-pong to get out!
Back to the getting it right the first time. Brace yourself. It rarely happens. Practise actually does make perfect. Encourage your team. The quicker they fail the better they will be as they master the key steps to success,
Enjoy the rest of your week,
Best Wishes
Denise
Popularity: 26% [?]
How Often Are You Distracted?
It must have been a summer term because girls from a different year were playing rounder’s on the school pitch and…
Probably:
The sound of leather on willow sliding through the open window distracted me from the ‘oh so interesting’ (not) art class I was supposed to be involved in.
I didn’t notice at first…
But there was my teacher (was it Mr. Patterson or Mr. Simmons – memory doesn’t say) who must’ve crept up behind me and staring over my right shoulder at what I thought was a pretty-pathetic effort – coughed!
Startled…
I looked up. “Err; yes sir?” I questioned
“Not bad, Denise” he declared. Continuing, “Good game is it out there?”
“Not sure Sir” was my typical teenage reply
“Oh well” he said; “Perhaps a little more concentration and less distraction will help”
And you know…
He was right – wasn’t he?
It’s just so easy…
To get distracted from what we’re doing – allowing the myriad noises and sights of our environment to get in the way of true focus.
There are…
The ping “here” I am – of incoming email
The melodies – of a multitude of mobiles
The unexpected nah nah nah nah of passing police patrols
The passing of people parading purposefully past
The pile of unfiled reports on the desk
And so much other —— stuff!
And it’s true…
Each interruption to our thoughts and actions stops the momentum necessary to complete any task or think through any thought to its natural conclusion.
They must stop!
Why – because in this world of interuptions – it’s difficult to get good stuff done!
Here are some solutions:
1. Make a list of all the interruptions that occur in your normal day
2. Make a list of how you’ll deal with them
3. Do it – stop the interruptions upstream before they can impinge on your
effectiveness
4. See how much easier life becomes
5. Enjoy
Must go – lists to write and actions to take – will you too?
To you and your teams success
Denise
Popularity: 23% [?]
How To Motivate A Poor Sales Performer
Motivation is often the key to improving a poor sales performer. Though the term is confusing. Because we cannot motivate anyone. They do it to themselves. Encouragement and validation is the key. Inspire them to action and their own motivation will follow.
How are you Motivating them
First, you should review the kind of motivation that you give the poor performer. Do you know what is important to them. How to press their hot buttons. Once you know this your time and attention can be laser focussed on what matters for them
Do you know the Whole Story
If this poor performer is not feeling the inspiration to work anymore, maybe something is bothering him or her. If you have good rapport this should be easy to find out. If not first start building rapport with them. Often it can be a blip at home which will come and go. Letting your team member know you are there to support can make a big difference and will shorten the curve till performance improves again.
The bottom line here is that you have to know what makes this person tick. When you already capture that, you can capture what motivations drive him also.
Constructive criticism works best
When they do something good, compliment them in such a way that’s direct, friendly and sincere. Be consistent in what you say and do. Stick to the facts. Call it as you see it. Not what you think you have seen. People work best with facts not judgements of what is going on.
Encouragement is the best motivator ever. Use it in abundance and you will be amaze at your results.
To You and Your Teams Success,
Best Wishes
Denise
Popularity: 29% [?]
Which Personality Type Makes The Best Sales Person?
Sales people come in all shapes sizes and personalities. Though which ones are the best. A tour around any office, will demonstrate to you the rich variety of personalities that exist in the world.
Assertive, aggressive, loud, shy, quiet, and considered to name just a few
Though which ones make the best sales people.
Over the last ten years there has been extensive research into the main dimensions that explain to some extent the five key factors on human personality
These are:
Agreeableness:
Are you low (disagreeable, antagonistic) or high (trusting, co-operative)?
Emotional Stability:
Are you unstable (insecure, anxious) or stable (Self-confident)?
Extraversion:
Are you an introvert (timid, shy) or an extravert (Sociable)?
Openness to experience:
Are you closed (Seek familiarity, old fashioned) or open to new experiences (creative, curious)
Conscientiousness:
Low (dis-organised, unreliable) or highly conscientious (responsible, organised)
Extensive research and studies have been carried out to confirm if any of these traits have any relation to job performance. Probably like you I was sceptical and thought that sales people would be different. Not so. I know I always thought sales people where different to.
Interestingly only conscientiousness was related to how well someone performs in a job. Let’s think about this a little more when it comes to sales people. I guess it’s obvious really.
Key attributes of people that score high on conscientiousness tend to have the flowing traits (in no particular order)
Reliable
Do they do what they say they are going to do. Do they turn up on time.
Organised
Is everything organised.Had a look inside their brief case recently. What about their weekly plan.
Persistent
Do they give up easily. Do they keep going with colleagues and team mates to get the job done no matter how late it is.
Thorough
Is the plan thorough. What kind of detail. Do they really think through what they need to do.
Achievement orientated
How important is it to do well. Do they like a pat on the back. Are they keen to see the latest sales data.
Able to plan
Can they plan their time. Do they think long and short term.
Now remember the great sales people you know who consistently perform well. I would suspect they have a number of these facets to their personality?
If you look even closer to home (that’s you) you probably recognise lots of these in your self as well.
What about Extraversion in sales? Well yes it does have some impact and degree of benefit as well. Though not as much as you think.
So the next time you are interviewing someone or checking out their CV or resume. Start to think about the questions to ask and the things to look out for.
From the start what was their application like. Was the resume or CV well thought out. Are their papers organised. Do they have a file with all their achievements listed. Do they have any evidence. Are things neat and tidy.
Think about some great questions to ask that will demonstrate how organised they are.
I know these might seem low level things.
Yet when I think back to the hundreds of people I have interviewed over the years, the star sales performers always stand out as being organised.
If you think about some of the ideas above and have a go. It could be one of the best things you ever do. That will potentially make you thousands later, in increased sales.
To you and your teams success
Best Wishes
Denise
Popularity: 27% [?]
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