Sales Leaders: What Motivates Your Salespeople?

This is from our 2010 News Bulletin Archive
By Susan Smith, Selloquent, LLC
Have you taken the time to discover just what it is that motivates each of your sales team members? Is it
money, status, awards? Perhaps it’s meeting a new challenge or reaching a goal before anyone else.
While there are many things that motivate salespeople to perform, we can group the various motivational elements
into three broad categories:
Relationship Motivated
Individuals who are relationship motivated have a need for friendly relationships and are motivated by interaction with other people.
They have a need to be liked and held in popular regard.
Status Motivated
Individuals who are status motivated have a need to be effective, influential and to make an impact. They thrive on recognition.
Achievement Motivated
Individuals who are achievement motivated have a need for a sense of accomplishment. They seek the attainment of realistic yet
challenging goals. They have a strong need for feedback as to achievement and progress.
Can you match each of your sales team members to one of these descriptions? Are you providing them with opportunities congruent
with their motivational needs? When you understand what motivates them, you can work to channel their energies in directions that
support their goals and department goals.
Team Players
Relationship motivated salespeople are typically good team players. When you assign tasks or projects to them, allow them to work
with a partner or other team members. Involve them in committees and focus groups.
Team Leaders
Status motivated salespeople typically have a strong need to lead and get their ideas across. Increasing their personal status and prestige
is important. They are good project team leaders. Provide them with opportunities to organize, direct and report on projects.
Sounding Boards
Achievement motivated salespeople constantly seek improvement and ways to do things better. Solicit their input and ideas regarding
ways to improve department performance. Use them as sounding boards when appropriate.
Don’t Discount Your Influence
Since we’ve been exploring things that motivate salespeople, it’s only fitting to also explore things that de-motivate them. And, the
first place to look is in the mirror. Do you give your salespeople a verbal pat on the back for their accomplishments—major or minor?
Or, do they only hear from you when things don’t go as planned? Do you give them the latitude to analyze situations and make
decisions, or are you looking over their shoulders at every turn? Do you take the time to build supportive relationships with your
salespeople; to listen to them and provide coaching and guidance when needed? Or, are you too busy with your supervisory responsibilities?
Do you provide your salespeople with the tools—training, technology and information—to grow personally and professionally?
Perhaps it’s valuable to take an introspective look at your behavior. Don’t discount your influence.
TMA Member Susan Smith will share more insights for company and sales leaders at a special TMA event on June 18 from 8:00 –
10:00 AM and at Marketing Day July 30th. Susan is President of Selloquent, LLC, and part of Sandler Training. You can view her
TMA member profile at http://www.tmanet.com/members/profile.asp?MEMBER_ID=Ql5fX15YXA. Susan can be reached at
(312) 371-7622 or susansmith@sandler.com
www.selloquent.sandler.com