It can be difficult for managers to keep their employees motivated. Employees are unique in what drives them to work hard. Finding a universal way to keep everyone on task and moving forward is a challenge. However, one department is usually easy to dissect and determine what keeps them going.
Sales departments are typically made up of like-minded people with similar personalities. That is why nearly 80% of sales people are all motivated the same. Extrinsic motivators have the most success when it comes to keeping sales staff members focused. This means they need and want ongoing encouragement, praise and recognition to keep up sales. Negative feedback is a regular part of a salesperson’s life. From prospective customers saying "no" to falling sales numbers, the life of a salesperson can be stressful and full of let downs. Regularly showing appreciation and recognizing sales staff for their efforts is a big part in keeping up morale. American Psychologist published a study where researchers found that for top performers to thrive they need to experience at least three positive interactions for every one negative. Even the best salesperson in the company needs a boost in order to stay motivated.
So what can sales managers do to recognize and praise their sales staff on a regular basis? Consider using various forms of recognition and maintaining frequent praise throughout the month or sales quarter.
Host monthly, or weekly contests to encourage health competition and reward top producers. Many sales people are competitive and welcome the opportunity to compete with their coworkers for prizes, trophies, or just bragging rights. Many managers implement sales awards like a perpetual award or plaque that displays the top performer’s names and awards them for exceeding their sales goals. These types of trophies or custom sales awards are typically updated with a new top performer’s name each month or quarter depending on how often sales goals are tracked.
Perpetual awards can be as simple as a plaque displayed on the wall, or as grand as a large trophy displayed in a case. Most award designs feature blank metal nameplates that allow new award recipient names to be added in the future. Perpetual awards are a low budget option for businesses wanting to show continuous recognition to employees as multiple recipient names are displayed on one award. The biggest part of the cost is the initial design of the award. Levy Recognition works with companies to design and manufacture custom perpetual awards within their budget.
Some managers choose to reward employees with small gifts as they achieve certain sales goals. Using gifts branded with the company logo is a great way to reward sales staff for meeting daily goals while also promoting the company brand.
Encouraging peer-to-peer employee recognition helps to motivate the entire team by giving them the opportunity to show appreciation for each other. Employees can nominate each other for special custom awards, or simply have a time during the day where they share thanks and complement each other’s accomplishments. Managers should be consistent in their ongoing praise. Saying a simple “thank you” and acknowledging the smallest accomplishments is all it takes to motivate staff.
A creative approach to rewarding and encouraging success can have a profound effect on the productivity of sales staff. Employees who feel valued, perform better which means increased productivity for the whole company. That’s a win for the individual and the sales team.
Want to start recognizing your sales team? Levy Recognition can help you select awards and corporate gifts that are perfect for showing your sales team how much you appreciate their hard work. Contact us today to get started!