Motivating Your Sales Team Remotely

There is no doubt that having a motivated staff plays a huge role in the success of a company, however, the work-from-home model forces managers to get more creative in how they motivate their sales team. The managers who have an in-depth understanding of their salespeople and what drives them will see positives results in terms of productivity. There are multiple ways to motivate your employees, but you must determine the best option for your specific company culture. In order to do this, consider asking yourself the following: 

How Should you Motivate Your Team? 

The first thing that comes to mind when we think about ways to motivate our employees is to give them what they want.  In most cases, it starts with money, but not all motivation needs to be extrinsic. It can be as simple as creating a strong company culture. When people work in an environment that provides them with what they need to be successful, everyone can benefit. It can be as simple as providing advice, feedback, and training to your employees.  

Take the time to understand each employee because the pandemic has affected everyone in their own way (whether it be financial, a loss in the family or their new lifestyle). As a result, adjust the style of motivation accordingly. Survey your team. When your employees are genuinely happy to log on for work, they will provide the results you want.  

Here are a few different ideas that need to be considered: 

How often is the sales team getting rewarded? 

In a sales environment, some companies do daily contests, others do weekly or monthly, and some larger companies may do quarterly contests. Today’s environment has made closing deals harder than ever. Figure out what fits best with your company culture and don’t be afraid to switch things up! For example, if employee motivation is down during work-from-home, try shifting your monthly contests to weekly ones to increase engagement and enthusiasm. If they are finding it difficult to get ahead in sales, perhaps you can consider using an appointment setting service to deliver warmed and prequalified leads to their door. Setting them up for success, via warm sales appointments, can allow your best closers to do what they do best – close deals! 

Where are they getting recognized? 

Some employees may like the public recognition while others value one-on-one manager recognition. If your sales team had a big white board in the office with everyone’s sales numbers, are you continuing to promote this virtually or are employees a bit more reserved in sharing their progress during the pandemic? Maybe it’s best to just point out some highlights from the month and let your employees review their stats on their own. On the other hand, making the information public might encourage employees who didn’t perform as well to step up their game! 

Why are they getting rewarded? 

There are other things to consider beyond who makes the most sales. Rewarding hard work can go a long way and play into intrinsic motivation as well. A healthy level of competition in the work-from-home environment can inspire and even excite employees to boost your numbers. When employees know they are being seen and their work is valued, they will work hard to get you the results you want.  

Who is getting the reward? 

Be aware of who gets rewarded each time you have a fun sales contest or monthly bonus. If the same person tends to come out on top, you may want to go back to the ‘where’ question and reconsider your strategy. Other employees may lose motivation if they see a common trend in winners. Ways to avoid this include team contests, where you set a goal for the company and reward everyone if it’s achieved, or contests in shorter intervals with more winners. Picking a random day of the week for a contest can be spontaneous and fun and it may allow for someone else to rise to the top!  

These are some helpful tips to boost office morale as well as get you the results you want while your employees are working remotely. Getting to know your employees’ personalities and situations can improve their own experience and help the company reach its goals. Doing the same thing every month can get a bit dull, so be sure to find new ways to incentivize your team.  If you’re able to successfully motivate you employees, then everyone becomes a winner! For more ideas on sales contests to motivate your team, call Amanda at 609-448-6364!