Finding Purpose – The Secret to Healthy Minds and Bottom Lines.
For decades, sales managers around the world have been searching for the secret to a motivated team. Every sales manager wants consistent performance, energy, drive, and sustained success. And at some point in their career, every sales manager has employed such tactics as stretch objectives, incentives, bonuses, better cars, more vacation, and contests. I, for one, am guilty as charged.
But anyone with a few years under their belt will know only too well that ‘incentives’ are effective only during the time they’re employed. Apply the carrot and performance improves. Remove the carrot and it returns to baseline. You might argue that there’s nothing wrong with that. The tactics mentioned above are, after all, designed to drive performance for a specified time. Plus, they’re easy to employ, easy to execute, and easy to measure. And while they may drive sales in the short-term, they come at a price to the people, and to the business.
The wellbeing and overall function of the team is often compromised by the ‘foot on the gas-foot off the gas’ approach to sales. One minute they’re ticking along nicely and the next, they’re stressed to hell, trying to win the contest and get the prize in whatever short-term boost they’ve been tasked with. Not only is it exhausting for the team, it’s de-stabilizing and such activities often pitch them against each other as they each strive to come out on top. While a short-term boost in sales may be achieved, the team is often left wiped out, demoralized, and demotivated. Once the incentive ends, energy plummets and sales often return to baseline – or worse – in the following quarter. This ‘yo-yo’ effect isn’t good for people; nor is it good for business. Generally, I’ve found that’s how things go. What’s bad for people is bad for business, and what’s good for people is good for business.
So, what is good for people and good for business?
Before you roll your eyes, smile, and declare that working on people and motivation is a ‘soft skill’, allow me to dispel that myth. Working on people is HARD. It takes work, effort, stamina, cast-iron nerves, intention, and attention. But get it right and the fiscal rewards are sustainable and plenty.
Because the most effective way to motivate a sales team is getting them to motivate themselves. Despite what we think, people are not motivated by external forces. They are motivated by one thing only and that is how they feel. We simple humans chase good feelings and move away from bad ones. That is our motivation for everything we do.
So how do you get a team of people to motivate themselves? You make them feel good. You find their purpose; their ‘why’. Uncover why they do what they do, why they get out of bed in the morning, why they give their all, why it’s important to them. Answer those questions and you have your recipe for a resilient, driven, committed sales team, and consistent results.
Studies have shown that when people have a reason, a purpose, a ‘why’, they exercise good judgment, make better decisions, put customers first, and stop at nothing to get the job done. And they do all of this under their own volition. This kind of drive carries them through good times and bad. They remain positive and focused when times get tough. They see through the fog and look for solutions. They remain resilient and steadfast when the proverbial you-know-what hits the fan. All desirable traits and behaviors in order to deliver consistent results.
So how do you go about finding the purpose for your team? In some cases, it may be obvious. In many, however, it isn’t.
Here are some tips for finding your team’s why.
1. Encourage them to get really close to their customers (inside or outside)
This serves many purposes. Your sales people will build trusting relationships which, in turn, will allow them insights they would not otherwise have gained. They will understand the customers’ problems, concerns, wants, and needs. They will be in a position to access feedback, experiences, and stories. They’ll be plunged into the world of the person to whom they’re selling. And there is no better feeling than being able to exceed the needs of customers because it inevitably ends in a sale. Perhaps obvious, but few people do a good job of this. For those who do, they enjoy their work, remain in the company for longer, perform consistently, and enjoy good mental health.
2. Make the sale the outcome, not the motivator
This may be an unpopular view but once you’ve moved beyond the discomfort, take a minute to think about it. Salespeople are, first and foremost, people. Sales is not who they are, it’s what they do. And like everyone else in the human race, they’re driven by how they feel. Focus on the outcome of the work they do; not in terms of sales, but in terms of benefits, positive differences, or gains. When people are focused on changing a life, reducing discomfort, or increasing comfort, they will move Heaven and earth to be part of making that difference. The mental wellness benefits are as dramatic as the impact on revenue.
3. Reward behavior that drives the outcome, not the sale
Recognize and reward behaviors that go the extra mile for a customer. Reward acts of honesty and integrity, reward ‘purpose-centred’ behavior, reward ‘doing the right thing the right way’ and you will perpetuate it. If the only reward is for the sale, people will do whatever they need to make the sale. This can lead to distortions of the truth (e.g. reporting false call rates), selling huge amounts of product into a key customer in order to deliver on the quarter’s sales, abandon customers who aren’t yet producing, and over-burden those who are. By focusing on behaviors that lead the organization closer to achieving its purpose, people make decisions that benefit the company in the short and long-term.
Working on purpose is hard
Motivating people to perform at a consistently high level is hard. Let’s be honest, it’s easy to tell people that you’ll pay them x if they achieve y. But it lasts only as long as the carrot is held. Finding a common purpose, rallying people behind it, and keeping it fresh in their minds is tough work. And it’s worth it. People perform at a higher level, take more ownership for their work, enjoy good mental and physical health, stick around longer, and deliver consistent results. And that’s what every sales manager wants.
