There are a lot of salespeople out there who unfortunately do not feel appreciated by their managers or their company, I've seen it first-hand.
Some salespeople are made to feel like a commodity, a simple tool used by the business.
"Pfft, they're just a salesperson" other departments will snigger.
"If you don't hit your target we'll just find someone who can" managers will threaten
"MAKE MORE CALLS" they will shout
I have 2 things to say to this...
1) Salespeople are one of the MOST important components of a business.
Without selling you don't have a business. A successful business is usually only successful because it has a good team of salespeople selling the product.
2) People who don't feel appreciated tend to not work very hard.
As the quote in the blog image says:
"A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected".
Putting an immense amount of pressure, making them feel insignificant, making them always feel like their job is on the line, these things do not motivate people to work hard.
The best Sales Managers out there (who are leading the most successful sales teams) not only understand this, they live and breathe it. Their team feels empowered, they feel supported, they feel well and truly valued at a very deep level.
And this has a HUGE impact on their productivity and success.
Sales Managers need to appreciate their sales team
They need to appreciate that they work hard
They need to appreciate that they work for them
They need to appreciate that they bring in the business
Here are my top tips for Sales Managers to start showing their team how valuable they are and to make them feel more appreciated in their jobs:
TIP 1) When holding 1-2-1's with your salespeople, don't JUST talk about business. Ask them how they're doing outside of work, how are their friends and family etc. Show them that you're interested in them as a person as well as a salesperson.
TIP 2) Tell OTHER people about their successes. This could mean telling the Sales Director or VP of Sales about them. Maybe CC them in on a nice email about them. Why not share a post about their success on LinkedIn as well? Tag them in, tag in other leaders. It will make them feel great!
TIP 3) Reward their hard work with a gift. It might just be a box of chocolates or a bottle of bubbly, or maybe it's a nice new sales book or a small bundle of sales books. Maybe it's an Amazon voucher or a meal out voucher. Gifts make people feel special and appreciated.
TIP 4) Ask them what THEIR aspirations are. Don't assume every salesperson is motivated by money or by being promoted. Ask them what they're working for. Maybe it's to save for a mortgage, if so, help them map that out and provide any support that you can. Maybe it's to go on nice holidays. If so help them map that out. Make it about THEM as an individual.
TIP 5) Just LISTEN to them. It's probably what you tell them to do to their customers, yet many managers don't actually listen to their team. Let THEM talk, let them tell you how they feel, what they're happy with, what they're not. People feel valued when they're listened to.
What's most important when doing any of the above 5 tips is that you do it with AUTHENTICITY.
Don't just do it to tick the box, do it because you genuinely want them to feel valued.
Do it because you know that if they truly feel valued, they will work a lot harder for you and for your business.
So why not start today?
Don't just focus on them making more calls to sell more.
Don't just focus on them sending more proposals to sell more.
Don't just focus on them pressuring prospects to sell more.
Make your sales team truly feel appreciated and see what impact that has on your results.
I think you'd be surprised :)
Thank you again for taking the time to read this blog! If you enjoyed this post please click LIKE and click SHARE to share it with your network. If you enjoyed it please do take time to read some of my other recent posts:
About the author:
Daniel Disney is one of the world's leading Sales, Leadership, Social Selling, and LinkedIn experts and is the author of the #1 Amazon Best Selling book, "The Million-Pound LinkedIn Message".
Daniel is currently working with companies all over the world to deliver LIVE LinkedIn & Social Selling virtual training sessions. For more information please email contact@thedailysales.net
On Tuesday 6th October, Daniel will be delivering the BEST LinkedIn course of 2020 LIVE online! He will deliver a true LinkedIn & Social Selling Masterclass across a 2-hour live session covering all areas of LinkedIn including profiles, personal brands, search, connect, messaging, content, tools, and strategies.
