Recommendations for the Sales Personnel motivation: Cash motivates employees, but is a poor motivational tool and sometimes
problematic to undertake and sustain. Industry examples show, top performers are not motivated by cash. Peer and management recognition, using merchandise and travel can be the primary motivational tools, like a paid time off if the target is being accomplished before the month end or the companys merchandise on the target achievement. Employees prefer spending time with family, friends. Travel is remembered the most followed by merchandise and cash. Weekly bonuses can be worked on instead of monthly incentives. Non-cash rewards have higher impact than the cash rewards, trigger emotional responses which are quite powerful. Cash is the basic need of such staff, but other incentives leave a huge impact. Volume based incentives can be provided, like if a sales personnel sell 10 cars than a per piece bonus can be given as Rs 2,200, but if the product no. extends to 11 then a cash incentive of Rs 2,300 can be extended for per piece. No incentive provided if the sale is of only 3 units or below. Hence, following an effective stair-step method can help achieve the sales nos if targets are realistic, time horizons are followed i.e. adjusted to seasonality or cyclicality. What works as a motivation for one can be a turn-off the other individual. Understand every sales personnel need individually and fulfil them in the form of incentives, like public recognition, family involvement, pat for the timeliness of the sales person to meetings, customer (appreciate). Such as to maintain weekly nos give them free CDs, DVDs or cinema tickets. Putting up a poster of the sales person of the month, particular outlet, can act as a public recognition for few. Team incentives should be extended, making individuals flexible. Pairing two sales individuals and giving them individual and team targets linked with incentives respectively. Once done with their individual targets they should make sure that the team targets are also being achieved. Give them the challenging tasks and targets, if can achieve a target of 8 give 10 making them feel wanted and achieving their full potential. To break the monotony, Job rotation and area relocation are effective. Internal conflicts between sales persons exist; need to manage them efficiently after a deep feedback on the issues from each personnel individually. Generally the sales personnel over-promise the customer or convey half/wrong information about the financiers schemes and the product, later putting pressure on operations staff and the financiers. This happens due to lack of self-awareness and knowledge about the same. Hence, Training is necessary, including company orientation, product/service knowledge, and industry knowledge and customer service philosophy. The Sales training like Demo also become necessary incorporating active engagement exercises, repetition, and specific goal setting, as well as direct application and accountability for whats being learned. Train them such that they learn to never take a No for an answer in case of basic issues popping in, developing persuasion power.
The sales personnel can be asked to get a customers signature or write a testimonial for him, validating his presence and an effective customer feedback. Sales personnel uniform should be a must to increase a brand recall in the market and making the sales personnel also feel belongingness. Make a sales person the leader of the rest, hell follow-up with them on daily basis and thenll directly follow-up with the team leader, helps to motivate others take the same position next month (after they achieve a certain target assigned to them). Thus, helping to maintain a daily sales report efficiently and providing a daily timely feedback to the individuals.
