Sales is one of the most difficult but, rewarding careers to be in. For great sales reps and sales managers, the possibilities for growth are endless.
On top of standard wages, the sales team can increase their monthly earnings through commissions paid for each sale. But what if you're a small business owner who can’t afford to pay hefty commissions?
Sometimes, sales leaders need to motivate their sales team without involving money. And as challenging as this can be, there are plenty of ways to encourage sales team members to reach their goals on a budget.
Today, we'll show you how to reward your sales team without spending a dime.
Why is sales motivation important?
Did you know that only 60% of sales reps regularly close their sales quota, regardless of the industry, or the product they're selling?
Some of the main reasons include:
- Unrealistic sales goals,
- Long sales cycles,
- Lack of sales training,
- Inefficient sales process,
- Undefined sales strategy,
- Lack of sales skills,
Just to name a few.
Some of these cases can take months to fix. But in business, time is money, and you might not have time to wait and need immediate results. One thing you can do is improve your sales team's motivation.
The average commission for sales across industries is 20-30% of gross margins. For high-ticket items, this could mean massive payouts for your sales team every month. If you can't afford that, another way to get sales results is to try and motivate your team to keep pushing forward – but without spending cash.
Sales motivation refers to all types of encouragement, from publicly acknowledging great performance to rewarding sales professionals with more time off.
Motivation can increase sales results more quickly, boost morale, and ultimately lead to sales success, which would then allow you to hand out monetary rewards.
Non-monetary ways to motivate and award sales managers and reps
Wondering how to instill a positive attitude and motivate your sales team? Here are some of our top choices for bringing better sales results.
Publicly display appreciation for your sales team
One of the many reasons for low motivation in your sales team could be the lack of praise for management. Many times, quality performance starts once the employee feels good about their work and the progress they are making.
Some of the many ways to motivate salespeople are:
- Host celebratory events: Every month or similar, to highlight the best performers and give them space to celebrate their results.
- Praise publicly: On Slack, in emails, or in company meetings and calls, praise the work of great salespeople by giving them the spotlight.
- Create a sales newsletter: Write an email to motivate your sales team and include the top performers for the month, along with their quotes and top tips to increase sales.
- Send personalized thank-you notes: Especially when they are handwritten, they can have a positive impact on how a rep feels about their work and contribution.
Giving your employees the ability to make their own decisions and grow professionally is also a great perk. When complimenting sales team members, make sure to compliment their specific abilities and achievements.
When this approach is taken thoughtfully, it can affect more than employee satisfaction and sales motivation – it can directly impact sales results. Happy sales reps won't leave your business, and they can be excellent brand ambassadors.
Provide career development opportunities
How can sales reps become sales managers? Give your team clear instructions on the sales goals to reach, and the rewards that await them.
In this way, you can provide motivation through career progress. But it doesn’t have to be as simple as that, and there are many ways to teach reps to become sales leaders.
Some examples are:
- Training and development programs: for reps who crush their sales goals, provide further opportunities for in-house sales training and development. Enroll them in a structured program that can help them achieve extraordinary sales results in the future.
- Create mentorship programs: pair the most successful reps with a sales manager or leader who can coach them, help them focus on the bigger picture, and create a winning sales strategy.
- Provide clear career paths: explain exactly what someone needs to achieve to go from rep to sales manager. Instead of vague guidelines, tell your team how many accounts they should close, how much value to bring, what kind of challenging goals to crush, and more.
While technically these steps might not be free, you’re making a smart money move by investing time and effort into future leaders. The reward for their great work is a chance to get even better at what they do and rule the sales floor.
Communicate and give clear feedback on sales strategy
Instead of motivational sales quotes, give the team specific information, like how to lead better sales calls, close important accounts, deal with unhappy customers, and more.
Most salespeople will continue bringing the same results until someone steps in and tells them exactly what to work on.
For example:
- Host regular meetings: a sales meeting is the perfect time to discuss good and bad performance, highlight successes and failures, and explain the causes for both without passing blame.
- Have open communication channels: many sales reps will only ask for feedback once they receive it. Explain that they can ask questions about goals, performance, or everyday work on company messengers, in calls, emails, etc.
- Have regular one-on-one meetings: give your direct reports a chance to ask questions, receive honest assessments, and if necessary, get criticized privately instead of in a sales meeting.
- Ask for employer feedback: ask your salespeople what you could do as a leader to make them more successful in their jobs.
This is one of the most effective ways to motivate salespeople to try new things and explore their full capabilities. And the value of great feedback goes far beyond sales: it can improve just about any process in your business.
Reward your sales team with more time
Try this sales motivation hack: for your top performers, let them choose how they spend their time in and outside of work. Arguably, this method is not 100% free either since the employee won't be at their job and you'll pay the cost in sales productivity. However, their excellent performance more than pays off for a holiday or two.
Here are some examples:
- Give paid time off to top sales team performers for meeting relevant sales goals, and award sales managers and reps with PTO. Give them the freedom to choose when and how to use those days.
- Let your sales team have flexible working hours: remote work, hybrid setup, flexible hours – these are just some of the many ways to give the sales team freedom in how they get their job done.
If your company setup allows it and you have the right tools to support this kind of framework, this is an excellent step towards motivating your team and building trust.
Set a variety of sales goals
Working in a sales team can feel very disheartening if you have clear milestones – and your reps may not reach them on a regular basis. Sometimes, you can keep the same workload for your team but change the goals so that salespeople can take on a new perspective on their successes.
Some ways to achieve this are:
- Create a sales contest: have a leadership board with the best performers for the week and month. Make sure that the atmosphere is rather friendly, not cut-throat competitive.
- Focus on small wins instead of big goals: closing big deals can be exhausting – as sometimes, months can pass before a deal is signed. Break down large goals into smaller, more feasible ones.
- Create specific challenges: for example, for the top number of cold calls per week, or the highest number of positive answers on the first call. Gamify the sales experience for your team.
- Set goals together: instead of giving your sales team goals that you think make sense, ask them for feedback. They are on the front line, so they can help you assess if the goals are realistic and achievable.
Sometimes, the best way to make someone feel appreciated is to consider the goals they need to meet and look at those goals from a different perspective.
Make it easier to do the job
Help your sales team go the extra mile by finding out what is preventing them from achieving their goals. It doesn’t take a lot to be an inspiring leader: just listen to common objections.
Some of the ways you can make selling easier for your team are:
- Eliminate unnecessary meetings: Each time slot filled by a meeting is less time your reps could spend selling. Call meetings only when they are necessary and invite the people who really need to be there. If a particular call can be an email – make it an email. Your reps will thank you for it.
- Get better software: There are countless sales tools out there and some of them do more harm than good. If your sales team has complaints about CRMs or phone dialers, listen, find a solution, test new software, and change the provider if needed.
- Get better leads: Give your sales team leads that they can close easily, either supplied by marketing or gathered with lead scraping tools.
While you can research and find new tools, methodologies, and ways to improve efficiency and productivity, getting feedback from your team should always come first.
Wrapping up
Money is a great motivator, but sometimes, your business can't afford to splurge on big commissions or incentives. There are plenty of non-monetary ways to motivate your sales team.
And besides the right attitude, one more thing that can help them close deals is having the right CRM. With Capsule CRM, everyone can track progress, stay in the loop on their goals, and communicate and collaborate in one app.
Grab your free trial of Capsule CRM and get started today!
FAQ
What is sales motivation?
Sales motivation is the drive and enthusiasm that encourages sales professionals to achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and perform at their best. It combines intrinsic passion and external incentives to boost productivity and success.
What is a good sales motivation quote?
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." — Robert Collier
How to motivate a team for sales?
Motivate a sales team by setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, offering incentives, and creating a supportive, competitive environment that recognizes and rewards achievements.
How do you motivate yourself as a salesperson?
Motivate yourself by setting personal goals, celebrating small wins, staying positive, continually learning, and reminding yourself of your purpose and the rewards of achieving your targets.
What is seller motivation?
Seller motivation refers to the reasons and incentives that drive a salesperson to perform well, such as financial rewards, personal growth, recognition, and the satisfaction of meeting and exceeding targets.
How do you motivate a sales floor?
Motivate a sales floor by creating a vibrant, energetic atmosphere with regular competitions, team-building activities, clear communication, and recognition programs, and by building a culture of mutual support and shared success.
How can a sales manager motivate their sales team?
A sales manager can motivate their team by setting clear expectations, providing consistent feedback, offering rewards and recognition, creating a positive work environment, and encouraging professional growth and development.
What to do with unmotivated salespeople?
With unmotivated salespeople, identify the root cause, provide additional training, set achievable goals, offer incentives, give regular feedback, and foster a supportive environment to reignite their drive and performance.
