Confused? People can be. In circumstances such as this, offering praise could actually be a demotivator, when entirely the opposite was the leader’s intention. To praise effectively, here are simple guidelines to follow:

1. Specific piece of performance

If the boss, or team leader, is able to describe exactly what the good performance looks like, then the recipient knows they are being paid proper attention. Unlike the quote at the start of this blog, how about: ‘I wanted to say congratulations for closing that contract for 4,000 units with Smith & Company’.

2. Add valid reasons for the praise

The salesperson now knows what you are talking about. Of course they will know that they performed well, but now you can let them appreciate that you do too, by adding a positive commentary on the achievement: ‘I know that they are difficult to tie down and like to take their time when deciding, especially when the directors are in different locations’. 

3. Be quick to deliver praise

The team member receiving the praise will soon be moving on to other challenges, seeking other orders. If the boss only congratulates them a week after a specific deal is concluded, such praise has lost its potency. It actually suggests a fairly casual approach to assessing their work or performance. For maximum relevance, praise should be delivered as close to the performance as possible. 

4. Praising when not present

The giver and the recipient of the praise might not be based in the same location. In this case, the same process can be completed remotely, either by telephone, email or text. The last two could also be used as a follow-up to face-to-face praise. This allows individuals to share the good news with colleagues, family and friends – adding to its motivational value.

Using our sales compensation and comission tracking software keeps the leader fully informed of individual performance; offering opportunities to deliver specific praise whenever it’s due. Contact us now to discuss how valuable it could prove to be for your small or medium sized business.

Nowadays, commissions and sales tracking are made easy by efficient sales commission software, so you don’t have to do any of the tedious math yourself. 

Personalised recognition and rewards

Commissions are usually cash rewards, and often the sales reps feel like they are only being paid rather than being rewarded. Sales commissions alone are not enough to make the team feel appreciated.

Including personalised non-cash rewards as additional compensation go a long way in recognising your team’s efforts. It does not have to be much – coupons, gift cards, tech gadgets, and recreational outings are some examples to give you an idea of cash-less rewards that might interest your staff. The more personalised the reward, the more deserving and special it feels. 

If you are feeling really generous you can offer the trip of a lifetime.  Send them somewhere like Cape Town, South Africa.  Find out more about Cape Town Tourism here.

Staff training

Some sales reps may be unsure of themselves, so educate your staff on their value and teach them new ideas on how to increase productivity.

You can prepare training sessions locally for your team or organise the attendance of remote or online seminar events. This adds value to your employees and encourages them to improve on their weaknesses. 

Set sales goals

Break down your annual sales goals and hold every rep accountable to smaller daily, weekly or monthly goals. Some reps may not realise their potential unless they have their sights on a target, and may be selling themselves short by lacking clear objectives.

However, don’t discourage your sales reps with very high sales goals or underestimate their performance with very low ones either; create sales goals that are fair and achievable. 

Exciting team building activities

A sales team is made up of individuals with unique talents, skills and capabilities; you need to bring them together as a unit to work as a team.

Conduct team-building exercises to encourage collaboration and communication among your sales reps. Don’t go for the cliché ‘tell us about yourself’ sit around, these need to be fun and exciting. Go out on a wilderness retreat, try out physical games, trivia, board game tournaments and the like.

The exercise should not elicit embarrassment or personal invasion; instead, focus on bridging gaps between team members by bringing out their collective strengths. 

Get in touch with us and find out more about incentivising your sales team using our sales commission software designed for small and medium-sized businesses.

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.

Occasionally, in-depth analysis and major change are needed to breathe new life into your sales performance goals. Whether the adjustments you need to make are large or small, decisions around business software are critical.

Get it right and you stand to revolutionise your business and your sales. Sit back and do nothing and you could be missing out on a whole range of powerful, automated benefits.

1. In-depth understanding

Unlike traditional spreadsheets which are susceptible to human error, automated software tracks and analyses raw sales data in a totally reliable and comprehensive way.

However complex your operations, once the facts have been input, executives can tap in for an in-depth understanding of how their teams are achieving day-to-day, produce reports and commission payouts. Employees can rely on their sales data to accurately reflect their successes. When you stay informed, great things can happen. 

2. Motivation

Nothing is more useful to sales team leaders than having accurate information about individual staff performance in relation to commission tracking.

They can see at a glance how the work of each individual is impacting on department performance. That means they can dedicate their resources to identifying and supporting reps that are falling behind.

It is easy to look for patterns of achievement and add extra motivation when it’s needed to reach a particular sales goal. For instance, if one rep is great at closing sales for a particular service or product, a manager can tap into their skills in order to train others and build success across the whole team. 

3. The here and now

Unless you have money to burn and an army of super-accurate data inputters, the smart money is on web-based sales commission software. It means that your performance indicators, sales records and analyses are always up-to-date, and you can log into your data from anywhere. You know exactly where you stand, you can assess what the future holds, and you can plan ahead for the benefit of your business.

Sales commission software isn’t just for the bigguns. Small and medium-sized businesses are now able to invest in specialised automated dashboards that strip away the guesswork. If you are looking for increased productivity, escalating sales and a motivated team, check it out.

In order to keep profits coming in, and to get the most from your staff, setting sales targets is essential. Thanks to the sales goals software built into the Commissionly app, you can quickly and easily assign goals to team members and their managers.

Create sales goals that work

Motivating sales staff to put in extra effort requires a thorough understanding of your current commission model. This includes current earnings  and sales of your sales team members, and the level of revenue needed to turn a profit per salesperson. Once you know how much your team is delivering, and your targets for company growth , you can start setting targets and goals which address the difference between the two figures and deliver the results through sales team compensation.

Always be realistic about your targets for your team. Goals that are set too high can actually reduce motivation. Staff need to feel that their targets are achievable. Be clear about the potential rewards for meeting or exceeding those targets, too. In addition to their regular commission, consider offering a bonus or treat for the best performers over a set week, month or quarter.

Using software for goal setting

With Commissionly, staff are already motivated by seeing their commission stack up in real time. You can also track their performance to ensure they are meeting their quota. However, you can go beyond this with all kinds of sales tools – such as leader boards to add a competitive element to the team setting.

Using the Commissionly app, you can set goals for staff, and amend them whenever required. You can follow a team member’s progress towards a target and automate the process of collecting sales and commission data for a faster, smoother experience. Plus, you can identify staff that are struggling to reach their targets and offer extra support – and you can create bigger, bolder challenges for your best performers, too!