If you are tasked with managing a direct sales team, you will already be aware of the intense pressure everyone is under, and while you will have your very own style of leadership, there are tweaks one can make to further motivate your team.
- Closing – Let’s face it, closing is the key aspect of sales, getting the prospect to commit is by far the most difficult part of the sales process, and the more help your team receives regarding closing techniques, the more they are empowered in the field. Have regular brainstorming sessions, looking at new techniques and how to overcome obstacles, which can only have a positive impact on sales figures.
- Meeting Environments – Whether you have weekly or daily meetings, make sure the hotel is of a standard like the Ibis in Bangkok, an affordable, but classy establishment where you can enjoy all the mod cons to create a winning ambience. Yes, it would be cheaper to meet at your condo, but if you want the most out of your players, use hotel facilities every time.
- Competitions – There’s nothing like a contest to motivate salespeople, it might be cash prizes, or even pairing up people, with the winner receiving a prize that is paid for by the loser. Be creative in your competition planning; dishing out digital devices is a great idea, we all love iPads, smartphones and laptops, and your team would certainly pull out all the stops to win such a prize.
- Leading by Example – Direct salespeople respond best when being led by someone who is also out in the field, and writing more business than anyone, and to be frank, this is the only way to really command respect. From the salesperson’s perspective, they do not respond well to someone who doesn’t close telling them how to close a deal, but if you are consistently writing more than they are, they will listen to what you have to say.
- Keeping Things Positive – This can be tricky when things are not working as they should, but no matter how low sales happen to be, you can always inject some positivity into the proceedings. This is vital if you want to get the best out of each and every team member and pairing up strong and weak players is a great idea, as buddying is a very effective way to motivate individuals.
- Lead Generation – If you have a lead generation machine in place, your team do not have to negotiate this aspect, but if each player generates their own leads, this is something you should work on regularly.
It is a very demanding job to run a successful direct sales team, and hopefully, all of the above will help you to tweak your team and get the best out of each and every team member. Sometimes you will need to work on one individual, nurturing their positivity to return, while other times, the team spirit will need a boost, and that’s where you come in.
