A strong sense of purpose

Some sales reps are motivated by a strong sense of purpose. They believe in the products and services they are selling and the benefits that they deliver to their customers. They are personally invested and delighted by the satisfaction their customers get from their products and services. Reps who are driven by a strong sense of purpose should be brought into the client feedback loop to champion their clients and provide insight into product and service development. 

Accountability and ownership

When people are involved in setting their own goals, they are more invested and more likely to achieve them. As much as the company will always have its overarching goals for the sales department, it is essential to allow individual reps to create sales goals that are SMART and map out their own plan to achieve success. Having personal targets that are aligned with the company’s goals helps to improve motivation and attainment. 

Autonomy

Whilst management at varying levels is required in most organizations, ‘micromanagement’ is often one of the reasons given when people chose to leave a position. Innovative, fast-moving business are recognizing the importance of self-management – working our clear goals with employees and giving them autonomy to deliver. Giving your sales reps some control over their own time manage, their daily schedules and the tools and techniques they use, without the need for a lot of bureaucracy may enable them to sore. 

The rapport between sales reps and managers

Managers and sales reps should work together to define best ways of work in term of communication, how they intend to handle supervision and feedback. For some reps, having a quick meeting with their manager every day is quite motivating while others find the weekly sit-down more helpful. It’s important to find out what works best for your team and personalizing the approach for each member in order to get the best out of them.

At Commissionly we offer a cloud-based sales commission and sales compensation management web app to help you motivate your sales team by using a commission-based payment structure. With a well-structured commission coupled with non-cash incentives, you can be sure that your sales team will deliver impeccable results.

Once you’ve done this, you can put a plan in place to get your business back on track. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at some of the common reasons for a decline in sales :

Lack of motivation

Are your salespeople in a bit of a slump? A lack of motivation is something we all experience from time-to-time. However, it results in reduced productivity, and this causes sales to decline. There are a number of ways to get your employees back on track, from team bonding days to running sales competitions.

Ignoring your competition

Perhaps your competitors have just come out with a new and innovative marketing campaign combined with a top-of-the-line product that is unmatched in the industry?

If that’s the case, it’s of no surprise that your sales have declined. Your customers have moved to the competition. Competing businesses need to be on your radar all of the time, enabling you to react quickly and effectively. 

Old-school selling techniques

If your team is going to continue to reach sales targets, they need to move forward and stay up-to-date with the latest techniques. If your employees are still using old-school selling techniques (yes, we’re talking about door-to-door sales and cold calling!), it’s time fora change.

Poor sales and marketing alignment

Finally, another common reason for a decline in sales is when the people on your marketing team aren’t collaborating effectively with those in your sales team. If there have been recent changes in your marketing strategy or personnel, it is worth looking into this further. After all, your sales team depends on your marketing team to give them qualified leads. 

As you can see, there are a number of different reasons why you may have experienced a sales decline. One effective method for enhancing sales performance management to ensure you keep on track is by using Commissionly. This is the first cloud-based sales commission and sales compensation management web app that has been fully designed for SMEs.

Contact us today for more information.