Motivate a Sales Team by Answering these 17 Questions

by | Mar 18, 2020 | Blog

To motivate a sales team is a worthy endeavor. One solution to this task is a sales incentive program. A well-run sales incentive program can have considerable benefits. They can help to increase excitement, healthy competition, and morale among your sales organization.

In a previous article, we discussed how sales incentives work and why. So, you get it, right? Now, how do we start? When putting together a sales incentive program designed to truly motivate a sales team, there are a few questions you should ask yourself.

Questions to ask before you motivate a sales team:

1. What has previously worked and what hasn’t?

2. What are the demographics of your team?

3. What can you offer to the team or teams that would keep them motivated together?

4. What motivates the individual?

5. What are the individual objectives? Team objectives?

6. What are your expectations of this program?

Some of your team may be motivated by cash rewards or higher commission. Some may like the opportunity to earn more tangible things like a trip to the Super Bowl or a set of Apple Airpods. Point is, knowing your team members’ interests and tastes can help you tailor contests, sweepstakes and promotions to have the most impactful effect. 

 

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For newcomers, non-cash incentives are a big topic here and in the incentive industry. They can truly help motivate a sales team by keeping your program fresh, exciting, and top of mind. They can create a lasting memory every time they use the product they got with their points or remembering the trip they were sent on where they mingled with the best minds of your company.

While we are firm believers in their ability to create mind share, motivating a sales team can prove difficult if you put all your eggs in one basket.

The best practice for your program is to include a wide enough range, while not bogging your team down with too many options. This process of overloading is called the Paradox of Choice, and it kills our engagement levels.  

Instead, we want to balance our options between cash, merchandise, travel, and experiences. Many times, these awards can be items that participants may not necessarily purchase of their own accord. This will motivate a sales team by giving them access to thousands of great benefits without having them freeze up when it’s time to spend their points.

So, we know the how, we just need the who. While sales incentives certainly can be a DIY endeavor, you may also be looking for an incentive company that can help you strategize and implement your program, making sure it meets and exceeds your objectives.

Answering the rest of these questions can help you to find the right provider while helping you motivate a sales team.

7. Can they integrate with your CRM system?

8. Will they provide current program strategy & incentive design ideas/best practices?

9. Will they help to write rule structures, setting objectives, establishing appropriate goals and grant access to leading incentive and loyalty program research?

10. If needed, can their platform scale to offer global fulfillment and translation solutions?

11. Can their platform run multiple promotions to different audiences simultaneously?

12. Will their platform allow for leaderboards, gamification strategies and statement pages?

13. Is their platform easy to use, easy to manage, and does it require minimal internal IT/administrative support?

14. Will they help to market the program and effectively communicate to the target audience, ensuring engagement?

15. Will they provide database management & business logic development?

16. Can they provide program analytics, KPI tracking, and ROI measurement?

17. Do they offer program customer service (toll free line, IM chat service, etc.)?

Performance incentive programs are an efficient, rewarding, and exciting way to improve motivate a sales team. When you find yourself in the position of choosing a program that best suits the needs of your organization, this is a great checklist to keep at hand.

Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash

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