It’s easier to do than you might think. Sometimes motivating a sales rep is even easier than motivating a five-year

This sneaky little tip is one that I copped off a behavioral modification book I was reading to learn how to discipline my two kids a bit better. So of course, after I used it on them – I tried it on my sales reps…and even though I shouldn’t have been surprised…it worked like a charm.

This sales training tip is called: “Give ‘em a LOFTY reputation to live up to…(even if they’ve done nothing to deserve it)”.

Terrible title…but effective technique.

Anyway, here’s how it works: Say a sales rep is trying to desperately to figure out some kind of relatively complex issue. So the extremely helpful sales manager really want to help them figure it out. They may know the answer and see them struggling…wanting desperately to tell them exactly what to do.

The real “pro” sales managers don’t do it though.

Instead of actually doing the work for them and telling them what to do, the excellent sales managers says this instead: “You know, (name) you’re the expert here, I KNOW you can figure this out on your own”…she then walks away.

Yes, walks away.

Let the rep figure it out. That’ right, let them figure it out. Your sales managers will be shocked at what will happen without them being there.

Now, of course, they’ll need to follow up with the salesperson the next day or within a period of time that they feel is appropriate to make sure it was done…

The point is this: the sales manager is training them to use THEIR brain…not THE SALES MANAGER’S brain.

Here’s why this is a highly effective motivational technique: when people are empowered to control their own destiny, they are far more motivated to control that destiny.

Because a sales manager cannot be around his reps every second of every day, micro managing their salespeople…or worse yet, baby-sitting them, the sales rep has got to learn to do it on their own!

When a sales manager does this, it empowers the salesperson…and motivates them BIG TIME.

The great thing is by using this technique the sales managers both motivates…AND lets themselves off the hook…less work for the sales manager!

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As an aspiring top sales manager, get your sales group to buy into the fact that achievement is the only permanent value of work and achievement only comes from relentless effort and commitment.

Say this in a group setting at first (at your first sales meeting to establish your credibility as a leader if you need to.

After this is done, talk with them one-on-one. I’ve always found that holding frank one-on-one conversations with every member of the sales team is essential to success. In no uncertain terms, tell each salesperson what you expect of him, reiterate their one minute goals. And reinforce to them that you both want the same things, right? When you discuss this with them, align their goals with your goals.

Whatever you do however, be extremely clear on your expectations. They should know what minimum performance is – and if they don’t – then shame on you and shame on them! Shame on you for not repeating it over and over again and shame on them for not knowing it.

Once this communication is established, appeal to their passion for achievement and desire to make money. However, be very clear that if they don’t produce what is needed you will find someone who will. Don’t make it a threat; just tell them as you would state any other fact, like the sky is blue.

That’s just the way it is. Tell them that you are here to “achieve at the highest level”. Tell them “I’m not her to finish 30th in the country, I am here to finish first – and neither should you”. Leaders can do everything right but if they don’t set an expectation of excellence – they can never expect to be successful.

To learn even more tips and techniques about how to be a top sales manager, we’ll be posting nearly every day, so stay tuned for more gret tips on how you too can become a top sales manager.

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Post a comment and tell me on how you encourage your people in reaching the highest level of achievement.

But if there’s one thing in common among all salespersons, it’s being motivated by more than one thing, and one motivator that tops most lists is the incentive compensation plan.

As a sales manager, how well do you know your incentive compensation plan? Do you have total mastery of it? I hope you do. Otherwise you’re missing out on one of the most effective motivators of salespeople to help them reach peak performance.

I’ll give an example. A salesperson needs to do two things right in order to be successful.

1. Perform daily selling activities
2. Master every aspect of his or her product and use that knowledge to their advantage

Same is true for the sales manager. You are here to manage your salespeople, and to do that you must also be in control of what motivates them: the incentive compensation plan. You need to be a master of these two aspects to bring out the full potential of your salespeople, just as a salesperson has to master both points if he or she wants to be able to make a good sale on a consistent basis.

The incentive compensation plan can mean different things. For Mary, it signifies the freedom to do what she wants. For John, it means being able to pay the bills and make ends meet. For Tom, it allows him to support his family. So it only makes sense that the incentive compensation plan is a huge motivator of salespeople. As a top-performing sales manager, are you going to let this go?

Let me clarify this much: you are not a top-performing sales manager until you have total mastery of your incentive compensation plan and are using it to motivate your team to sales success.

Do YOU have total mastery of your incentive compensation plan? How do you use it to your advantage? Let me know by leaving a comment after this post.