Most sales people are by driven reward, and recognition. As cliché as that sounds, I have yet to see a compensation plan that my top sales reps did not dissect and leverage. I have yet to see a top performer fail to appreciate the recognition that comes with a successful close or year. So assuming those two basic traits apply to most individual contributors, (among other traits), how do you keep your employees motivated and engaged when sales are down?
When companies are laying off employees at historical rates, the challenge is to engage employees through motivation, not fear of job loss. As such, two-way communication is important in a down economy. A lack of communication and direction results in productivity declines, decreased morale, increased fear and uncertainty.
There are two key sources for communication: the organization and sales management. Many companies do a good job of providing transparency but one-on-one time is often overlooked. This includes skip levels as well as meaningful time with a direct report–ideally, time or lunch outside the office. Take the time to answer their questions about the business, ask for their insights, find out how they are feeling—or let them drive the conversation.
As an example, I worked for a company where our SVP of Sales regularly hosted an evening at his home for our new hires as they came to town for training. He did such a great job of communicating and relating, that even in our toughest times he had an engaged sales force. Additionally, with each new fiscal year he recognized past successes (individual and team), and set the sales vision and expectations. Everyone started the year with a clear idea of what to expect and what was expected, while primed to give 110%.
Another way to engage your employees is to ask for their input. In terms of developing actions and priorities in a tough climate, the best ideas may come from them. In a past role, my reps helped to identify a key sales niche that reversed severely declining revenues due to a service shift. A friend of mine also did this, and found new ways to reduce cost and increase customer satisfaction in her business. Her top retention criterion, as it turned out, was employee engagement.
Be a servant leader. You can build confidence and trust by being a “selling manager”. However, it is equally important to help them perform better through coaching, removing sales obstacles, assisting in their sales efforts, employee development, etc. This is a golden rule in sales, and employees will appreciate your willingness to make them more successful.
Explain the “why” in business decisions. I always find that people respond better to change when they understand the rationale. Additionally, corporate decisions can affect customers but your sales reps can’t have a successful dialogue without the rationale. In the end, you help to set them up for success while building trust and confidence.
Be an invested leader. Selling becomes harder in a down economy, so skills must be fresh and elevated. As such, managers should continue to share best practices, provide skill and knowledge-based training as well as coaching. Maintain or develop your succession plans and stick to them. If you continue to develop your employees, you are more likely to improve retention during good times.
Maintain accountability. This may seem a bit contrary if you need feet on the street, but your top sales people know their peers and they tend to resent under-performers. You can negatively affect morale if poor performance is ignored or given latitude. Find out why they are not performing and address accordingly.
Last but not least, reward and recognition are always important. The simple fact is that small gestures are as important as the big ones. I recently saw on Twitter that a CEO took his top two performers to a national sales summit as reward for their efforts. This is a great way to get one-on-one time with employees as well. However, it can also be as simple as a gift card or an email acknowledging a great job in managing a meeting, building teamwork, writing a proposal, etc. It all adds up to whether or not you know the good things that your folks are doing, and more importantly, you appreciate it.
As most companies will tell you, employees stay for other reasons than pay—even sales people. Your people are your strongest asset, and in the most challenging times, you will continue to get the best out of them if you give them the best of yourself.
