A highly successful manager who had been promoted to a new position was astounded when her replacement came to her one day, pen and pad in hand, as if to jot down a list of automatic steps, and asked her, “Tell me, what specifically do you do to motivate your people?” “I was caught speechless,” the manager told me. “It was as if he thought motivating people was something you pulled out of a lesson book and did the same for everyone.”
    Unfortunately, some managers think only about quotas, numbers of sales calls, and all the other important, but not exclusive things that go into producing results, yet forget to think about the critical importance of human behavior. Perhaps that’s why research has shown that the performance of any employee can move 30% positively or negatively, depending upon their manager. When that influence moves toward the negative side, you get a disengaged worker. A 2002 Gallop poll revealed that disengaged workers cost more than $250 billion a year. Now that’s a bleeding bottom line. More recent research done by The Kabachnick Group found that as many as 65% of all employees are disengaged. Imagine what that costs.
    So the question becomes—as a manager, can you really motivate your sales team so they don’t become disengaged? The answer is, no! You cannot motivate the individuals on your sales team. True motivation must come from the individual. However—and that’s a big however—you can create a motivating environment in which to foster one’s own motivation. As a manager, you are accountable for creating the work environment. Thus, creating a motivating environment should be a high priority on your to-do list. Beyond hiring right to begin with, it is the one critical thing that will serve to generate growth and create momentum in your sales team. Without it, expect to have high turnover, stagnate sales and eventually a bleeding bottom line.
    While the actual tactics employed to create a motivating environment are vast and quite individual, there are some basic guidelines for ensuring that you’re headed in the right direction. Start with these five fundamental factors:

Know Yourself

    As the great Chinese philosopher Lao Tse said, “He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise.” Understand your own behavior style; your strengths as well as your blind spots. Be honest about your blind spots as those are the one’s that will blur your thinking about others who don’t behave exactly as you. Remember the adage that “a strength overused becomes a weakness.” So, if you tend to be pretty strong in the area of details and you spend too much energy working the numbers, you’re likely to miss the real needs of your sales team.

Know Your Individual Team Members

    Take time to truly understand the differences in your team members. You may think you’ve got a like-minded team, yet none of them are clones. Each one will have unique motivators and it’s your job to know each ones hot buttons. One may need to get public recognition while another may prefer a personal, sincere note of gratitude for good work done. It’s important to know the difference and acknowledge accordingly.

Spend Your Greatest Energy on Your Performers

    Too many managers ignore their star performers and devote their energies to the laggards. That’s a bad use of time. Work to take your achievers to their next level. They’re your race horses. If the poor performers don’t improve, replace them or they’ll de-motivate your team.

Tell the Truth

    It may seem easier to couch the truth of negative performance, but in the long run, it just hurts you, the team and the results. When non-performers aren’t improving, do them a favor and tell them the truth. It may be that you’ve got a sales rep that seems to have what it takes, but just can’t get the job done for you. It could be that they’re just in the wrong industry and your being honest with them will help them to rectify their wrong and clear the way for you to get a right fit sales rep in that spot. When this happens, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Be Genuine, Be Sincere and Be A True Coach

    Take a genuine and sincere interest in your people. Using surface small talk doesn’t cut it—they know. The one thing everyone needs, regardless of their behavior style or values, is the feel that they are genuinely needed—some more than others. When you take a sincere interest in your team as individuals and work to fulfill that need, you will be amazed at the motivation and loyalty that comes back. Coaching has become a real trend and coaching can be incredibly important in the continual development of your people. However, that only happens when the coaching is individualized, genuine and sincere. Bo is a top performer. He’s excelled in every task ever given to him. His sales are triple anyone else’s. Head hunters call him continuously and he’s had some incredible offers. Yet for more than 20 years, including some pretty rough years, he’s never even considered going anywhere else. Why? Because his managers know him, care about him, communicate clearly how they value him as well as honestly point out necessary areas for growth. He is quick to confess that his work environment is so motivating that the thought of being anywhere else has just never been appealing. Bo is a classic example of how everyone wins by working in a highly motivating environment. What are you doing to accept accountability for creating this kind of a motivating environment for your team?