Great sales performance requires great sales management. Keeping your sales team motivated and on-task can be one of the most challenging aspects of sales management. It takes patience and creativity to keep a team motivated, especially when sales are slower than expected. Of course, when sales are slow, motivation is more important than ever. It’s your job to keep the sales team on top of their game, so they can capitalize on opportunities as they arise. Here are three sales management techniques you can employ to make sure that your team stays focused and motivated at all times.

Identify Pain Points and Motivators

Weekly sales meetings are often used to go over the same plans for the umpteenth time, or they become a forum to rehash past failures. Too little time is dedicated to finding out what works, what doesn’t work, and why. Often, this is because sales people may be reluctant to share criticisms in front of their co-workers and managers. For this reason, you should make sure to find time throughout the week to meet with your salespeople individually. People are more likely to share their true opinions when they don’t feel like they’re being put on display. During these meetings, you can find out what motivates your individual salespeople, and try to figure out ways to incorporate those ideas into your overall sales strategy. Likewise, you can find the pain points that are sapping motivation, and work to eliminate them. In sales management, your most important asset is information, and your best source of information is your sales team.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

The sales industry is in a constant state of evolution. New tools, strategies, and best practices are emerging on an almost daily basis. If your sales team isn’t up to speed on the latest trends in the industry, it can be difficult for them to compete with better-trained competitors. Training should be a constant part of your sales management strategy. Each member of your sales team should be offered ample opportunity to learn the latest sales approaches. Members of your sales team who do take part in advanced training should be used as mentors and teachers for other members of your sales staff. Working together, everyone can stay on top of emerging trends, and take advantage of the latest technologies and processes. With so many new sales techniques available, a sales team that is stuck in the past can’t compete on an equal footing. Make sure that your sales management strategy is focused on current solutions, and not based solely on ideas that used to work.

Better Tools for Better Performance

Keeping up to date on training isn’t as helpful unless the tools your sales team uses are also up to date. Those tools can include everything from customer relationship management (CRM) software, marketing automation software, social media sites, and more. These tools are quickly becoming ubiquitous across the sales industry, and can cut costs while improving lead generation. Part of the role of sales management is to make sure that the sales team has the best tools at their disposal. Without access to these tools, your sales team will be facing a serious disadvantage when competing with better-equipped businesses. Part of your sales management strategy should involve keeping up to date on the latest sales technology, and making sure that your sales team has access to the tools that can benefit them the most.

Any sales management techniques should focus primarily on motivating the sales team. It can be tempting to employ strategies that make life easier for management, often at the expense of the sales team. Remember, the sales team will be dealing with prospects and customers every day–their motivation, or lack thereof, will affect the motivation of the people they interact with. Focus on your team first, and your own sales management needs second.