Sales managers approach me frequently for advice on how to keep salespeople

motivated, especially when sales reps stagnate and seem to keep falling

deeper into it. Telling managers what not to do usually solves the problem. The majority

managers do things to demotivate salespeople without even knowing it.

Take the idea of ​​funnels and forecasts, for example. Funnels and forecasts are

important aspects of the execution of any sales operation. Both salespeople and managers

they need to know where they stand in terms of potential opportunities and funnels

they serve to track those opportunities. No successful business can operate and

planning for the future without an accurate forecast. In theory, these are absolutely

essential for the success of any operation. In reality, however, few words cause terror.

in the hearts of marketers as “funnel” and “forecast”.

For most marketers, the term “funnel review” equates to micromanaging,

Plans for parole and performance improvement. Just hearing the term is enough to

change the mood of a sales rep from positive to negative. He or she suddenly loses

enthusiasm and does not know why. Many managers increase funnel reviews as they

performance slips, which causes performance to drop even further, and in the end no one

win. Endless funnel reviews, especially if they are not positive, only serve to

reinforce doubts and limiting beliefs of sellers.

Forecasting is a similar problem, but in different ways. Few sellers forecast

precisely. Nobody wants to fall short in their forecast, so they embellish,

overdoing it and making sure the numbers add up to where they should be instead of

where they really are. This results in managers expecting those numbers, and

salespeople who shirk managers because they know they won’t perform

as planned. Then there are marketers like me who do the exact opposite:

since I hated nothing more than being constantly asked by a manager, “When is this

is one going to close? When will it close? “, I intentionally left good deals

out of my forecast. While it eliminated the problem of constantly being asked when everyone

those agreements would be signed, they created another form of stress by having to deal with the

consequences of a funnel that did not meet expectations.

Another word that instantly demotivates sellers is “activity.” Unfortunately, in

In the absence of any other viable advice, most managers simply say, “You need to

to increase their activity “to anyone who is not in the quota. This does nothing

as well as configuring the rep to believe that a series of reviews of the funnel and

Performance improvement plans will follow soon.

Finally, I see too many managers pushing too hard to spend more time with

sellers who are falling short. While it is necessary to dedicate time to these

people, it is not a good idea to keep asking them what they need help for and for

insist on going with them. This just increases the heat another notch in a

already stressed rep. Nobody who has problems likes to be pointed out,

especially when the extra attention can easily be mistaken for micromanaging.

To keep a struggling salesperson motivated:

1. Keep the conversation about funnels, forecasts, and activity to a minimum.

2. Offer help without being overbearing.

3. Put your trust and confidence in that seller.

Follow these guidelines and you will not only do a better job of helping those

are struggling, but you will see an overall increase in performance from your sales team

motivation and enthusiasm.