One question sales managers ask continually is: “How can I motivate my people to perform at their best?” Books and theories abound on the subject, but the fact is that you cannot “make” people be motivated. What you can do is create the right atmosphere, hire the best people and ask for excellence. The question should really be: “How can I encourage my people to want to perform with excellence?”
    The word motivation, like the word emotion, comes from the Latin root meaning “to move,” in general, people respond for their own reasons, not yours. You may want a salesperson to meet sales quotas or enhance productivity, but salespeople actually take action because they have their own personal motive. Most motivational techniques fail because they don’t focus on the individual salesperson. The most successful way to motivate a salesperson is to discover what internally motivates them to take action.

Eight Keys To Motivating Your Salespeople

    In order to improve motivation, sales managers must create an atmosphere in which people motivate themselves. When people feel personally invested in a plan, they work to make it happen. Here are eight questions you can ask to create a self-motivating atmosphere.

• Is your team aware of your goals?
  One way to motivate people is to let them know your goals so they can participate in them. Make it a point to share information vital to your organization with everyone involved. Layout the big picture, and stress the importance of their contribution. When people are highly motivated, it’s easy to accomplish the impossible. When they’re not, it’s impossible to accomplish the easy.
• Do you build on strengths?
  Many of us have been programmed to focus on weaknesses, as though any imperfection would negate or detract from any strength. But this isn’t so. All success comes from strength.
      Once you get people operating from a position of strength, it is easier to motivate them. They will enjoy what they’re doing, and they will do better. Look at positive, not negative, behavior first. For example, after a meeting, ask yourself, “What did I do right? How can I apply that in other situations?” Know the strengths of your people so you can help build on them. Know your own strengths so you also can continue to grow.
• Do you give feedback?
  People need feedback just like they need air, even star performers die without it. Salespeople want to be encouraged if they’re doing well, and if not, they want to know why. Give feedback immediately. Don’t wait several months to correct a problem or to give recognition for a job well done. Let the person know - now.
• Do you give constructive praise?
  When people are upset over failure, focusing on the negative can hurt them and remove any incentive to improve. Even when giving criticism, you can create a positive framework: “I don’t think this is up to your usual standard; how can we improve the situation?” For times when criticism is necessary, burn this message on your mind: Give praise publicly; give criticism privately.
• Do you reward your salespeople?
  If your people meet their agreed-upon objectives, they should be rewarded with more than kind words. Money, bonuses and incentives are key motivators for people. But another reward you can give a high achiever is your time. Don’t just spend time with poor performers, when someone does a good job; recognize their efforts and set aside time to develop ways to motivate them to do even more.
• Do you listen and learn?
  It’s reported that after finding himself at a dead end, out of money and out of prospects, Thomas Edison once asked his janitor this question: “I’d like to ask your advice, Pop. What do you think I should do in this situation?” The janitor was stunned. “Nobody ever asked for my advice before,” he replied. “Well,” said Edison, “then you should have a lot of good ideas stored up.”
      No matter what techniques you employ in the quest to motivate your people, you have to be prepared to ask questions and to listen at least as much as you talk. No one’s ideas should be missed. You don’t have to focus on every suggestion, but if you don’t at least get back to people and say, “That was a terrific idea,” and thank them, they’ll never give you another one.
• Do you set the example?
  The best managers lead by example, not once in a while, but every day. One thing I was taught in the Marine Corps, that has stuck with me today, is not to ask any of your subordinates to do something that you haven’t done yourself or were willing to do if necessary. People pay more attention to what you do rather than what you say. Leadership starts at the top, if you don’t handle the responsibilities of your own position, you can’t expect people to live up to their job responsibilities.
• Do you get people to do their best and live up to their potential?
  This is the most important question of all. If you have hired high achievers (which hopefully you have done), they will strive to do more. It is up to you to create an atmosphere where your people are constantly reaching and striving.
      Review these questions on a consistent basis and your team will be on the way to sales success.