However, let’s acknowledge two big truths: 1) Asking for a tool is just the first step in wanting to introduce a process to your organization. You have to make it fit your circumstances, and 2) having spent the time to configure it to your company’s situation getting your team to use it requires more than a request to “Please fill this in”.
So how do you get your staff to do things you believe will make them and your company better?
The first step was answered in the opening line of this article, “Nothing motivates like being recognized.” If we are rewarded with praise when the job is completed, we are far more likely to repeat that task, provided of course that further praise is forthcoming.
The second step, the method for faster and permanent behavioral change, is to understand what motivates your staff. When I share this with clients, the common response is that money motivates sales staff. And while that may be true, throwing money at the problem doesn’t lead to lasting results. In fact, it sometimes makes the situation worse. If you were to ask your sales people why they work, their first response will typically be the same as the response I get from the managers. So, not unlike the prospect you meet for the first time, you have to probe a little deeper and ask them what they spend their money on. What are their goals, dreams, wishes? An effective way of asking this question is by asking them to picture a place called “Someday Isle”. This place has everything they’ve ever asked for… you know, the times you’ve said “Some day I’ll have this or some day I’ll have that”.
You can make it easier for them if you categorize their “Someday Isle” and ask for three goals in each of the following categories:
Family goals, social goals, financial goals, educational goals, physical goals and spiritual goals. Once they have come up with 18 or more goals, insist that they make their goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time dated.
Once your sales staff have spent some time contemplating their goals, writing them down and getting specific about what and when they would like them to happen, you get a clearer picture of who your staff really is and more importantly, what will motivate them!
The best way to get sales staff to make the cold calls, book an appointment, and put together the quote is to use the information from their SMART goals as the impetus to generate more activity.
So instead of trying to motivate in the old way, “Bill, based on your closing ratio, the company needs you to put out four more quotes per month to achieve your quota”, use the SMART method. Now your approach would be, “Hey Bill. I know your really want to spend more time with your family and you’ve set a goal of taking them to Florida this fall. Based on your closing ratio, just four more quotes per month and you’ll be on your way to the Sunshine State. What can I do to help?” Bill is far more likely to respond to his family than he is to the company quota.
Discover what motivates your team and you will find they respond much better than you expect.
