Keeping your sales team motivated is a challenge at any time. But considering the volatile market and economy caused largely by COVID-19, it’s even more important to keep your sales team on track.

Sales teams that can keep their eye on the prize and are energized and always up for the challenge perform better. But keeping your sales team motivated is about much more than giving them pep talks from time to time.

“As a sales manager or director, you can only influence your team’s sales performance in two dimensions: Their skill set (what they can do), and their motivation (how repeatedly or passionately they do it),” says Dan Tyre on the HubSpot Blog.

“Improving your team’s skill set is a largely objective process. By evaluating current performance metrics and comparing them to a successful end state, you can diagnose what areas need improvement and act accordingly. But motivation is far harder. Not only are there are many external factors that affect motivation, every person requires different incentives and motivational tactics,” he adds.

Are your sales reps motivated? Are they performing up to expectations? Do they need to be re-focused and re-energized?

Here are 6 tips from Toronto sales recruiters to motivate your team in order to survive, even during slow and more challenging periods of time.

1. Create a Trustworthy Environment

Trust is the foundation for a strong and motivated sales team. You need to build trust with each and every member of your sales team. When your sales team trusts you, they will be more willing to believe in what you are trying to achieve, especially when times are tough. If your team does not trust you, you face an uphill battle trying to motivate them to put in the extra effort.

2. Create a Collaborative Environment

All sales professionals have ideas. Sales managers who create a collaborative environment and allow their reps to have a voice will reap the rewards. Members of your sales team are the ones who are interacting with your customers on a day-to-day basis. They have invaluable and insightful information about your customers. Allowing them to propose new ideas and ways of doing things will help keep them engaged and motivated. This can foster innovation. When times are tough, new ideas can be just what your company needs to boost sales.

3. Celebrate the Small Wins

Sales is one of the most challenging industries. You can keep your sales team focused and motivated by celebrating the small wins. Did your team meet their daily goals or weekly goals? Who was the top performer for the week? Did a rep celebrate a work anniversary? Celebrating these small wins along the way will be appreciated.

4. Recognize Your Sale Team

People want recognition. So, recognize them for a job well done. Recognizing the performance of your sales members publicly is even better. Acknowledge the hard work your reps put in through company emails, at sales meetings, and through internal communications. This type of recognition will motivate your reps to perform.

5. Reward Your Sales Team the Way They Want to Be Rewarded

Not everyone is motivated by the same thing. Some people want recognition; others prefer financial gains. And there many who have other preferences. One way to keep your team motived is to allow them to choose how they want to be encouraged. Ask your reps how they prefer to be rewarded. If you offer up something they want, they’ll be more motivated to achieve the defined objectives.

6. Walk the Walk

Saying and doing are two completely different things. Follow up on the things you say by displaying model behaviour. Stay positive and echo the actions you expect of your sales team. Lead by example and they will follow your lead, even if this means you getting in the trenches and selling. When the market is volatile, sales leaders need to lead the charge.

The best sales managers are the most effective at motivating their sales reps. When faced with obstacles such as COVID-19 and market volatility, your ability to dip into your bag of motivational tricks can make a significant difference. It could be the difference between making quota or having a down sales year.

Read More on Our Sales Blog

Looking for more strategies to keep your sales team motivated? Check out these blogs by our expert sales recruiters. They are packed with insights about how to manage remote teams, how to recover from an economic downturn, and how to recover from a drop in sales and much more.

6 Tips to Ensure Your Sales Team Comes Out Strong After an Economic Downturn

6 Tips for Managing a Remote Sales Team

Noticing a Drop in Sales? 7 Ways to Get Your Sales Team Back on Track

Healthy Conflict Is a Part of Sales. 4 Ways to Handle a Sales Rep Who Is ‘Too Nice’

4 Ways to Properly Evaluate Your Sales Team and Make Them Even Better

5 Simple Reasons Your Sales Team Is Underperforming

SalesForce Search is a Toronto sales recruiting company that specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services, and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.