Much time and money is spent by companies motivating their salespeople. This often has a limited effect: demotivating influences, which are stronger and more lasting, often blur the compensation offered by motivating influences. Sales training experts often use a balloon analogy when discussing the motivation of salespeople - a lot of heating with motivation does not lift the balloon off the ground because there is too much demotivating ballast in the basket. Taking this analogy further, no-one actually knows if the balloon would have taken off without any motivation investment whatsoever if all of the ballast had been thrown off in the first place.
So where does all this demotivating ballast come from? There are four categories of demotivational ballast:
- Managerial mistakes (incorrect knowledge or ill-will)
- Lack of ability on the part of the salesperson
- Bad company atmosphere
- Private problems.
What can you do to reduce the amount of ballast your salespeople are carrying around with them?
1. Respect your salespeople as human beings.
For salespeople, their superior is often the most important person with which they relate within the company. Their success prospects within the company depend on their relationship with their sales manager, who have the upper hand. The subsequent helplessness felt by salespeople manifests itself in anger, bitterness, frustration, emotional resignation and then literal resignation.
It is usually a repetition of small things which trigger these cost-intensive reactions: destructive behaviour on the part of sales managers, who are usually not even aware of this, but the regularity of which hurts the salesperson's feelings.
Do not thoughtlessly destroy your salespeople's feeling of self worth. Arrogance, cynicism and mockery can poison everyday relations. Constant grumbling at a salesperson's performance and exaggerated, destructive criticism offer no incentive.
Treat each of your salespeople as a human being and not as a cog in a machine. In meetings, listen to what they have to say, rather than looking through the post. Always be punctual for meetings that your salespeople have arranged - never let them have to wait for you.
Never delegate tasks to your salespeople which are not within their abilities.
There is nothing more demotivating than constant failure. Make sure that your salespeople have regular sales training to develop the requisite skill and knowledge for the tasks you give them. The formula "Performance = ability x determination" illustrates that motivation (determination) is only effective where there is the equipment (ability) to translate words into deeds.
2. Try and normalise bad departmental atmosphere.
A bad departmental atmosphere means that salespeople do not feel comfortable in the company of colleagues or superiors. This leads to social demotivation. You can intervene in a positive way by:
- Acting as a mediator if there are differences between teams or individuals. By using objective information you can promote understanding for the viewpoints or actions of the other side.
- Not adding fuel to the fire. Do not change your position with a view to managing the situation better by building small blocks.
- Not allowing one person to become the "baddie" and scapegoat.
Unfortunately, there is very little you can do to eliminate any personal demotivating ballast your salespeople may be carrying around with them. Sales training experts recommend that you can occasionally be a sympathetic listener and that this will help, but must beware of becoming a permanent therapist in such situations.
