How to Motivate and Build a Strong Team in Sales

Sales is a rewarding and challenging career, one that can either take you to heights of greatness or one that can leave you feeling dejected. The job of sales manager can be made more effective when certain principals are applied, specifically during sales meetings; used effectively these principals can add to your success.

When having a sales meeting, it is important to utilize this time to educate, lead, listen and guide your team. Here is an effective strategy to make the most out of your sales meetings:

1. Mission Complete.

Before you approach your sales team regarding your expectations, you should have clear objections in place. If you do not know where you want to go, how can you expect your team to know? Your objectives can be based on territory, sales quotas, new customers or any other goals you want to focus on. Make a list before you hold your sales meeting.

2. Mountains into Molehills.

You must instil confidence in your team and to do this you have to remove the obstacles that your team may feel that they face. Maybe they feel the expectations are too high or competition is too stiff. Either way you need to turn their mountain into a molehill, be open to what your team is feeling and respond with honesty. Keep the mood light and encourage participation from everyone, stand from a position of empathy when you assist them in removing their mental roadblocks, this will enable them to think of ways that the goals can be achieved as opposed to resisting to them out of fear.

3. Brain Storm.

You have clearly set the expectations, overcome the fear based roadblocks, now you must chart the course for success. This is the “how” of your plan. The best way to do is to empower your people at this step with some brainstorming, the center of your focus, should be based on “how” we are going to accomplish this goal. Let all ideas come forth do not place judgment on any of them. Using this strategy enlists loyalty and confidence in your team and creates enthusiasm for going forward.

4. Make it Personal.....

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