The document provides tips for motivating a sales team. It suggests that sales managers start with an advantage as salespeople are naturally confident and self-motivated. However, managers must create an environment that supports success and recognizes achievements to maintain motivation. Salespeople need to understand what they are selling, who the customers are, and the value proposition to feel ownership. Managers should also ensure salespeople have the necessary resources, support, and coaching to be successful. Regular one-on-one meetings allow managers to understand each salesperson's unique needs and goals.

1. How To Motivate Your
Sales Team
By Brian Perfect
Managing Director
Salesperson Centric
© Salesperson Centric Limited, 2013

2. Foundations
The good news is that sales team managers start in a really strong position
since the selling profession is of necessity populated with confident, selfmotivated and success oriented people.
So the key question to ask is what could be
de-motivating your sales team?
Have you created an environment that positively drives and truly supports
salespeople in every aspect of making sales?
In essence, Salespeople will be motivated if they believe they
can be successful and that they will be recognised and
rewarded for success.
© Salesperson Centric Limited, 2013

3. Do your salespeople get the big picture?
The foundation of belief for salespeople is a clear understanding of what
they need to do
Salespeople need to answer the three key questions:
– What are we selling?
– Who needs to buy it?
– What value does it deliver?
Hold a workshop with your sales team to answer the three key questions to
create ownership and strengthen motivation
Coach your salespeople to create admin light sales plans
Incentivise them with simple compensation plans
© Salesperson Centric Limited, 2013

4. Do your salespeople have what they need?
The salesperson sits at the centre of a complex ecosystem of people,
processes and tools that all need to work effectively at every stage of the
sales process for success to be achieved
If salespeople do not have what they need you get
frustration, stress, conflict with colleagues, missed
deadlines, and in extremis lost sales
To avoid this:
•
•
•
Be clear about the salespersons role and responsibilities throughout the sales process
Develop your own best practice checklists for what your salespeople need
Be pro-active in identifying gaps in the support for salespeople (e.g. in sales methods,
solution training, access to key technical people) and address them
© Salesperson Centric Limited, 2013

5. Manage effectively day-to-day
Salespeople find themselves doing a difficult and complex job within a
competitive team of individuals, often working alone, which means their key
support relationship is with their manager
Selling is by nature a roller-coaster of a job
The last major piece in the motivation puzzle is you, the sales team manager,
and the relationship you build with each salesperson:
•
•
•
Adopt a coaching style
Ensure you allow enough one-to-one time with each salesperson
Understand what is important to each salesperson personally
© Salesperson Centric Limited, 2013

6. Further Reading
• This presentation is based on the article, “Mastering Motivation”, published in
the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management Magazine “Winning Edge”:
http://www.salespersoncentric.com/how-to-motivate-a-sales-team.html
• The ideas in this presentation and the article are taken from the book:
Salesperson Centric Management: Maximising the Performance of Complex
Solution Sales Teams – available on Amazon, see:
http://www.salespersoncentric.com/book.html
• The author, Brian Perfect, is a specialist sales team management consultant,
coach, trainer and advisor. You can call him on 01252 279988 or visit
http://www.salespersoncentric.com
© Salesperson Centric Limited, 2013