LEADERSHIP STRATEGY: MOTIVATE SALES SUPERSTARS
Sales superstars need goals, support, and lots of TLC
If you are serious about growing your top line, there is no better way than to find and keep sales superstars. Don’t wait until there is an opening—always be on the lookout for winners. Once you acquire superstars, retaining them will be an ongoing challenge worthy of the CEO full attention.
by LSI contributor Larry Venable
The care and feeding of sales superstars
#1 COMPENSATION:
The perfect pay plan is straight commission plus bonus if they achieve super high level. But that’s not always possible. Some will not accept not having some base, so the second best is a small salary plus commission on each sale. You could pay a significant salary plus bonuses at various levels, but that is not as desirable. Never pay salary only if you want superstar sales people. Remember the basic principle of management: “What gets rewarded gets done.”
#2 GOALS:
Sales people need goals, or targets. But don’t think just in terms of sales goals. You need to identify and measure two types of goals:
- Results: Revenue or unit goals, monthly, quarterly, and annually
- Activity: Number of contacts per day, week, month and year with new prospects (hunting) and existing customers (farming)
When the sales are coming in, even superstars may ignore the hardest part of the job: new prospecting. Management must keep them focused on and hold them accountable for a set number of new contacts in order to keep their pipeline full. A basic sales principle: “What gets measured gets done.”
#3 RECOGNITION:
Management and non-sales personnel do not appreciate that sales is a lonely and frustrating job. Trying to reach unresponsive people and being rejected is a major part of a salesperson’s life; unlike office staff who if so inclined can enjoy the camaraderie of co-workers. Sales people need extra attention from everybody in the organization.
Sales people need and thrive on recognition such as:
- Personal notes & comments from you.
- Create competition between the multiple sales reps in the company.
- Acknowledge accomplishments in front of others.
- Trips, dinners, gifts
#4 SUPPORT:
Nothing is more frustrating for sales people than working hard to get a major sale, then having to deal with bureaucracy and paperwork back at the office. Management must remove barriers that make salespeople less motivated and productive. Eliminate or minimize all procedures and paperwork that make the selling job more difficult. The CEO must intervene with managers and employees on behalf of the sales team. Without repetitive reinforcement from the CEO people will forget that sales people are always fighting on their behalf to enhance everybody’s job security—the business that sales people win pays the salary of every employee.
This post sponsored by Topline Coach