Working in a highly competitive, smash your numbers, βget the deal at any cost, KPI drivenβ sales environment and not being driven by money made me feel there was something amiss with my motivation levels because I didnβt seem to think the same way as my colleagues β or so I thought!
Little did I know back then that money is one of the lowest motivating factors of all.
Now donβt get me wrongβ¦ I am not down on money-making ventures. Far from it!
And as a salesperson, if you are doing a great job, taking action, adding value and building bridges with your clients, then you will attract more money β a simple case of cause and effect.
But when it comes to the compensation plan, and youβre wondering why your team arenβt overachieving, especially when you are dangling dollars, then Iβd encourage you to dig a little deeper into YOUR beliefs around money being a motivator, and into what your teamβs values around money are.
Because often, money is not the answer to motivation!
Knowing what that money will give people is the answer!
After all the very word Motivation means A Motive for Action
My husband and I had not long relocated to Melbourne and were moving into our new home, and it was a perfect time to replenish all our linen for the bedrooms and bathrooms. It was going to cost me around $5000 to completely kit out those rooms with my favourite brands.
And at the same time, a new sales competition was being launched. The sales managers were smart. They could have dangled a $5000 cash prize, but they chose to have each of us submit something we would buy with that $5000. Whilst my colleagues were choosing watches, phones and holidays, I submitted, you guessed itβ¦ βlinenβ.
And I won!
But it wasnβt until I began delving into the brain, our behaviour and the correlation of both in the context of business growth did I start to see the gaps many sales managers donβt bridge.
If only more managers realise that they can get got more out of people, or rather motivate their people to get more out of themselves, once they understand what makes people tick at an individual level, then cater to those motivations, eg recognition, belonging and autonomy, instead of making huge assumptions and just dangling the almighty dollar.
When the finger is pointed because opportunities have been lost, this is just one example where the sales manager must point the finger back on themselves. Start doing more research, discovery, and qualification within their teamβthe human pipeline!
And in case you were wondering, good linen needs to go on good mattresses- so reach out to another one of my amazing clientsΒ TEMPUR Australia and New Zealand!
If you want to DM me for more on how to get the most from your sales team, then I look forward to speaking with you.
