The old adage “sales fixes everything” is rather well known, mostly because it is true! So, fix your sales and your sales will fix everything! However, this is sometimes easier said than done! Usually, the sales department is more than just the business owner, so the sales team also needs fixed. In this article, we are going to look at why sales teams fail to achieve sales and how you can go about fixing this within your sales team.
Motivation
Motivation is a huge factor. Lack of motivation in salespeople can drain company resources as well as not bring in any revenue, so this is particularly taxing. Employee motivation can tank for multiple reasons, such as:
- they dislike the job
- they feel they are in the wrong field
- family life issues
- employee relations issues
- they dislike the pay or feel capped
- lack of appropriate tools to do the job (let’s hope this is already not the case)
There are many other reasons for loss of motivation, but the important thing is that motivation gets re-inspired in the sales team. So let’s look at these and also look at how to deal with each of them.
- If the employee dislikes their sales job or they feel that they are in the wrong field, figure this out and let them go. You may have an exploratory conversation where you address other issues. Hopefully, this is not the case, but if it is, getting rid of these employees is critical. They are a poison within your sales team and they will drain the positive atmosphere.
- Family life and home issues can also affect the productivity of a salesperson. If the employee has a good track record, it could be detrimental to your organization in the long run if you let that person go. Sit this person down and talk to them. Acknowledge what they are going through and then redirect the conversation to their role and their responsibilities. Most people know that things are slipping and they just need a reminder that others know it. Otherwise high-performing salespeople usually have enough fortitude to motivate themselves after a conversation like this.
- Employee relation issues can happen among the sales team or with other areas of the company, including upper management, which might be you. If the issues are within the sales team, you will need to address it immediately. Usually any issues with salespeople are misunderstandings, but if you have a real “winner” on your team, you may want to let them go. If they have issues with upper management, explore what the issue is and address it or address the employee.
- If the employee has an issue with the pay scale, this can be tricky. Many great salespeople are lost due to the fact that they are great and they leave to get paid more elsewhere. Being capped can be frustrating for a high-performing salesperson, so leaving is really just a simple business decision on their part. You would probably do the same thing. If the salesperson has a great record for making the company money, then I would recommend finding a mutually beneficial arrangement. Usually, a company cannot afford to lose a good salesperson and realizes that it would cost more to lose them than to pay them more. Don’t be stingy!
On the other hand, the salesperson may have no track record and still be asking for raises. This is a situation where they should probably prove themselves as a valuable asset to the company growing their sales and their client base. Once they have done so, then the conversation can be revisited.
- If they lack the appropriate tools to do the job then this is an issue with sales management or maybe higher. Many companies want to run a tight ship, but shorting the sales department is usually not a good idea. Slowing the budget flow into the sales department may seem like a good idea, but it is really counterproductive to sales growth. Imagine Apple stopping or slowing funding to their research and development department. Make the necessary investment into the sales department and the sales cycle should go smoother and possibly even faster.
Sometimes people just lose sight of the carrot, lose sight of what they want in life, and lose sight of the opportunities in front of them. This is the most common reason for loss of motivation in the sales team. The late Zig Ziglar had a very famous saying about motivation, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing…and I recommend it daily.”
Salespeople who need a motivation boost may benefit from things such as GetMotivated seminars, motivational videos, or motivational quotes. We came out with a free eBook featuring 120 motivational quotes to get your sales team back on its feet. Try sending an email a day to your sales team and including a quote for the day. You can download the eBook here.
