For some salespeople the answer is obvious. For others, not so much.
Do your sales leaders a favor. Don’t put them in a position of having to constantly motivate you. It’s exhausting, it’s distracting & it doesn’t work!
It’s a fact. Motivation (for a long period of time) does not work. Oh sure, your boss can pump you up. She can give a “state of the business” speech & get everyone going. She may even offer up a contest or spiff from time to time. But if you constantly look at your sales leader for motivation you are in the wrong career.
For salespeople motivation has to come from within. It’s called FIRE IN THE BELLY or PASSION IN THE HEART. I’ll bet you the sales leaders reading this blog know EXACTLY who I am talking about.
You all have a few of them. They do whatever it takes to succeed. They don’t complain. They don’t hang around the office waiting for the phone to ring or an order to come through email. They don’t come in your office two or three times a day fishing for compliments. They actually answer their phones after 5:30 & reply to emails on the weekend (imagine that…). They get things done. For them there is no other option.
Here’s the tough question: How many salespeople do you have that you clearly want success for them more than they want it for themselves? Why is it that your commitment to some of these people’s sales growth is stronger than their own commitment? Awkward feeling isn’t it?
You know the signs: They come in late. They leave early. They spend more time in the office than they do on the road. They blame marketing for no leads. They blame production for quality. They blame management for high prices. They actually ask for a lower goal or quota (so they can come closer to not hitting it)!
These salespeople have their hand in your back pocket. I know it hurts. I know you are “used” to them & they have been around forever. But so were pagers, bag phones & Blockbuster Video, before technology took over.
Solution: Hire better salespeople. Oh, they’re out there. They want it. They work at it. They don’t stop until they get it. In 2015 if your salespeople are not cutting it there are 10 more waiting to do the job that the others aren’t doing. Stop trying to motivate people that can’t be motivated. Find the ones with that Fire in the Belly. Find the ones that know who their #1 motivator is. See what it does for the culture of your office.
Your #1 motivator = YOU!
