Results in sales teams are not so easily achieved. But, salespeople, while able to influence them to a point, are not able to guarantee what will happen. So, they often get disappointed and stressed that their plan didn’t work.

This is where you, as a team leader, step up and help them find their Motivation again. While this may be difficult and stressful, you should show them what a real leader is and motivate them to work better and enjoy their work.

If you want to know how to do this, here are some helpful tips that will help you:

Focus on key sales activities instead of results

When you constantly tell your team to focus on results, they can become stressed and burned out. Sales are something that they can surely influence, but they can never predict or be sure of.

So, you need to allow them to relax and focus on what they are doing instead of fearing of what will happen. Fear is never efficient. It’s killing all motivation. Instead, working on separate small tasks will help them find joy for the work they love and do.

Build trust with the people on your team

Trust is one of the most important components of any relationship. If you want your team to work successfully, it needs mutual trust. First of all, your team members have to trust you, and you have to trust them. This is not just achieved through telling but through showing.

They need to see that you are willing to let them work on their own on important tasks. They also need to trust you enough to talk to you and let you know if there are any problems. They need to trust each other as well.

Get creative

Motivation is a fickle thing. But, one surefire way to get it back once you lose it is to have some fun as a team. Get creative and come up with games or competitions between different people in your team. Organize hang-outs after work or have some other kind of fun. This is a great way to build team spirit and find the motivating your team needs.

Blur the line between boss and employee

There needs to be a line between you as a leader and them as employees. But this line does not have to be a thick, dense wall. Sure, you are a leader – your job is to lead by motivating and helping people work better.

You can be their friend as well. Know their names, their stories, and so on. Be the person that they trust, and that can inspire them. Don’t be this closed off, distant person that only comes to criticize. Work with them, side by side.

Understand your direct reports’ personal and professional goals

Your employees have their personal and professional goals. While their professional goals may be to be the best at their job or advance in their career, they also might want a better work-life balance, for example. When you understand this, you can offer them the right motivation.

Make sure they’re covering the basics

Your employees should know what the company culture and goals are. So, make sure that they know and fully understand that.

Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals

Without goals, we would all be lost. Just imagine, going on a journey without a destination – how do you know that you have done something well? How do you know what success is? What do you compare your results against?

Set goals for your team. Attainable, measurable goals that are defined by time. Make sure that they are easy enough to reach but still present a challenge for your team. You should also celebrate the achievement of these goals. This is the best motivation and direction they can get.

Remind employees about the autonomy they already have

Work on showing your employees that they already have some autonomy that they are not fully using. Make sure that they know what it is and that they are fully taking advantage of it.

Figure out where the issue lies

Do you know why your employees are not motivated? You should. Without understanding the real cause of the issues, you could be doing many things to fix their mood, but none of them may work because they are not a real solution.

So, before you get into the solving issues, ask your employees what the problem is. Are the results not great despite hard work? Are you the problem? Are their any team issues like fights or disagreements? This way, you automatically know where to start.

Transparency and honesty

Being honest and transparent with your employees is a great technique. Don’t let them be confused by what and why you are doing. Help them understand.

First off, be transparent about your mission – they need to know it so that they can get into that mindset. You should also share with them the overall goals of the company.

You should share all of the relevant information. Be honest with them when they could do be doing better or when they are doing well. This will all help you create trust with your teammates and build, and environment that they would love to work in.

Let people pick their own rewards

Letting your employees pick their own rewards is a great technique that can work as an extra motivator. Sometimes rewards can be too generic and might not suit all of your employees. So, why should they work hard for something for a reward that’s not even their favorite one. Allow them to pick their rewards – for some it will be to have a day off, some will like to travel, some will like a dinner or tickets to a movie, and some would prefer money.

Give great rewards

This builds upon the previous point. While money is a great reward to some, most people are actually more interested in other rewards, especially if their pay is already sufficient for their lifestyle. For example, people with families would probably like to have a day off, and younger people would like a free trip. Some may like dinners, sports games, or movies. Use these to motivate your employees in a better way than money ever could.

Show the benefits

Money is great. But what your people may want even more are the benefits, especially after a while. So, offer them those benefits – access to various facilities, medical or lifestyle benefits, and so on.

Finding motivation and helping other people find it is hard, especially in sales teams. However, you should be the leader everyone wants to work for and build new ways to help your employees and teammates stay motivated.

These have been some of the tips that have proven effective in the past, but there are many more you could try on your own, knowing your team. Hopefully, this will help your team stay motivated.

Guest contribution by Aimee Laurence, sales manager at Essayroo. She also is a freelance HR and ghostwriter.

Additional resources:

• What Is a Business Model? 30 Successful Types of Business Models You Need to Know
• The Complete Guide To Business Development
• Business Strategy: Definition, Examples, And Case Studies
• What Is a Business Model Canvas? Business Model Canvas Explained
• Blitzscaling Business Model Innovation Canvas In A Nutshell
• What Is a Value Proposition? Value Proposition Canvas Explained
• What Is a Lean Startup Canvas? Lean Startup Canvas Explained
• What Is Market Segmentation? the Ultimate Guide to Market Segmentation
• Marketing Strategy: Definition, Types, And Examples
• Marketing vs. Sales: How to Use Sales Processes to Grow Your Business
• How To Write A Mission Statement
• What is Growth Hacking?
• Growth Hacking Canvas: A Glance At The Tools To Generate Growth Ideas

The post How To Help Your Sales Team Find Motivation appeared first on FourWeekMBA.