Even though February is technically the shortest month of the year, this year it feels like the longest.
With snowstorms Juno and Pandora having just passed, mountains of ice piling up in our parking lot, and temperatures at a record low, February has quickly become the Debbie Downer of the 12 months.
And even though you may keep your offices heated at a level that stimulates sales productivity, the constant snowfall and bitingly cold temperatures outside can affect your sales development team’s productivity if you're not keeping a close eye on your team. Especially when the storms make it so everyone has to work from home.
I thought I would ask a few of our sales development managers how they motivate their teams and keep them performing at 100% every day in February. Last week, we heard from Greg and Jimmy in Part 1; this week, we’ll hear from Steve Malcolm and Josh Stevens. Read on to learn how our sales development teams creatively motivate their reps to exceed expectations this month!
Steven Malcolm - Positive Reinforcement and Skill Building
Motivation can come in many different forms. In my experience, it’s all about the “small things,” whether that be providing my team with breakfast on a random day or giving them a high-five after passing a lead. Positive reinforcement along with rewarding every little success seems to create a fun environment where people can still perform well. I believe there is nothing more rewarding than teaching someone a skill and watching them succeed. That shows to me that what I taught resonated with my SDRs and they are able to apply the skills they learn to be even more successful within their own trade.
Josh Stevens - Healthy Competition and Mentoring
I find that my team is most motivated by healthy competition and challenges. Prize-based contests and incentives such as bonus PTO or cash will always provide an uptick; however, even without a prize, I find that proposing a goal for the team to achieve during the day can be motivating. Placing a challenge in front of them where all team members must contribute allows them to band together and hold each other accountable for a common cause.
In addition to challenging my team, I am a big proponent for public praise of excellent performance. Sales can be a daunting task, filled with highs and lows, and it is important to recognize your team’s victories, big and small; whether they be a small deal in a saturated market, or a large opportunity for the hottest solution on the market, any win that puts your team closer to their end goal should be recognized.
Mentoring and one-on-one time with sales reps is the most rewarding part of my job. Closely working with reps to understand each of their unique challenges and developing resources or techniques to overcome said challenges is very powerful and helps motivate me to better my own skill sets as well as my colleagues.
Share your own strategies to motivate your sales development team below!
Join the Conversation