"Are My Sales Team Happy - or - Are They Thinking about Leaving?"

Finding great people, giving them a chance to grow and watching them succeed is definitely the "feel good" part of managing a sales team.

But making sure everyone is happy - while also ensuring that they remain faithful to the cause (and you) - is a really tough dynamic to get a measure on - and, if you asked, a large number wouldn't tell you straight to your face whether they were or not?

When it comes down to some of the factors that might make them lean one way or another - financial, emotional, whether they feel respected, the ethics of the business as a whole - would you say your company was a great place to work and succeed?

'Cos let's face it, this is not the time - when there are more sales jobs than people that can do them effectively?- to go through the expense of trying to replace brilliant, competent members of your team just because you couldn't keep them happy.?

Ensuring people are enjoying their work and motivated to succeed is a critical part of managing any team.

During my sales management workshops there are a number of “truths” that we work through, together with a couple of exercises that help everyone in the room recognise how to both motivate their team – and maybe even more importantly – stop doing the things that demotivate them.

So today, let’s talk about;

• How successful managers motivate people to achieve greater things
• How most managers actually de-motivate their teams

Not so long ago a study was carried out to try and work out what it was that genuinely motivated people at work.

As part of this study a large selection of managers and their staff were asked to put in order of importance a list of key motivators.

I run through the entire list at my 1 day masterclasses for people who manage sales teams ?– and the top choices of the sales managers who attend are always very similar.

They believe their teams are motivated by things like money, job security and good working conditions.

But - to truly understand the motivation here - it helps to understand the similarities that managing a team of people has with certain customer service principles.

The way I present these principles during customer service training days is through the explanation of something called Satisfiers and Dis-Satisfiers.

As an example, if you order Fish and Chips at a restaurant and the food is served cold – you would complain.

You expected hot food – that was the deal – and you want what you were promised – so you demand that it be put right.

One Dis-Satisfied customer

However, if the food was served hot as promised you wouldn’t write a letter to the manager thanking the staff for your hot food – because you expected it to be hot.

Things that you were expecting to happen cannot Satisfy you – they can only Dis-Satisfy you when they are missing or go wrong.

When you offered me the job, you promised to pay me a certain amount of money - as long as I turned up every day and did the work – that was the deal – so that is now my expectation.

You CANNOT motivate me or satisfy me with something I was expecting – only demotivate me by getting it wrong.

Same with job security and good working conditions – why wouldn’t I expect those things?

On the other hand, the things that motivate are the things I’m NOT taking for granted.

It's a long list. but it includes helping me to feel in on things, having my back and helping me to become better tomorrow than I was yesterday – stuff like that.

The next thing to bear in mind, is the thing that most new managers screw up really badly.

Not so long ago, during darker times, the secret police of a particularly harsh regime created a psychological torture that was designed to break the will of anyone who opposed them.

I run through the details more comprehensively during my 1 day masterclasses for people who manage sales teams ?– but here’s a few you might recognise;

• Knock self-confidence by regularly assigning menial tasks in front of peers
• Change regular procedures without reason or consultation
• Demoralise with discipline after they fail to complete impossible tasks
• Ensure you are emotionally unpredictable in their presence

That’s part of a psychological torture list – but it might as well be the management playbook for some of my worst bosses.

And you know, most managers are doing this kind of thing by complete accident – they’re just trying to get the job done – they’ve no idea of the harm they’re doing with regards to team morale and staff turnover.

I created the FAME management framework a number of years ago for my clients.

And while this week's newsletter touches on the MOTIVATION quadrant - I don't have the space to show you how FOCUS, ACCOUNTABILITY and EDUCATION this week - but all have a massive part to play in a happy, highly motivated team.

You see, it really helps if they know exactly what they need to be focusing their efforts on - because that brings clarity, stability and peace of mind.

It makes a huge difference if they fully understand which tasks are solely their responsibility - and you know which ones are the tasks that "only you can do" as their manager.

As discussed above, you need to understand not only what motivates a successful sales team, but also know how to avoid the things that will demotivate them as well.

Finally, a well thought out and regularly delivered coaching system, will always turn out more successful results and a happier sales team and manager than a crammed monthly sales meeting or Zoom call - and when done properly takes away 80% of most sales management headaches.

If you manage a sales team - or you're just about to pick up that baton - I hope you found this week's newsletter useful - see you again next week

To your success

Chris

recent attendee feedback from the people who manage sales teams masterclass

PS:?We’ve also just released the next UK dates for my?2 Day Business Development Masterclasses in cities across the UK . If you want your sales team to get a head start on everybody else in your industry, I hope you’ll consider it.