You have 2 choices when your Sales Team is not making their quota or reaching your goals.
1: You can threaten them with their job and tell them why they must do better!
OR
2: Encourage them and teach and coach them on how to do it!
If you are a Sales Manager or the “Boss Man” , you can influence your Sales Team in many ways. You can yell at them, threaten their job or position, and make them mad OR you can encourage them, coach them, and show them how the goal or quota is reachable.
If you ask most Sales Managers which way works best and which way they prefer to use, most will say they use the Power of Positive Thinking and Encouragement. If you ask most sales people they will say the Power of Positive Thinking and Encouragement but if you ask them which way their Manager or Boss uses, most will tell you they often yell, threaten and use negative ways to get them to do better.
As a Sales Manager, you should understand that sales is not easy all of the time. It is your job to encourage your team and to help them believe in your and the companies goals. It is your job to train, and coach them in the ways to reach those goals. If you aren’t encouraging them and telling them “How it can be done.”, then most salespeople don’t believe you know how to do it or worse yet, that you don’t believe it.
I believe a lot of companies and management make the mistake of promoting their Top Salespeople to Sales Managers without properly training them in the art of motivating their Sales Team. Just because a person is a great salesperson doesn’t necessarily mean then are a great Team Leader. In fact it could mean that they had a great Sales Manager themselves who kept them positive and encouraged them to not settle for anything less than reaching the goals set for them.
Many companies and Sales Managers set goals and quotas based on “Wishes” instead of “realistic expectations based on current market conditions.” If the goals and quotas are set too high, then everyone becomes discouraged and frustrated. This only leads to high turnover and high burnout of your Sales Team.
As a Sales Manager or Sales Leader, I challenge you to look at your sales meetings. Are they positive and realistic or are they negative? Do you have high sales people turnover? Is your Sales Team on board with your goals and are you all working towards those goals with a positive attitude?
If not, ask yourself what story are you telling them. Is it “Why they should hit the goals and quotas?” or is it “How they can hit the goals and quotas?”
Jeff Raver, President of Begin to Win Certified Member of the John C Maxwell Team Coach to Top Performers for over 20 years.