If you’re in sales, you already know certain times of the year are slower than others. During these slow times, it can be difficult to stay motivated until it gets busy again. Fortunately, there are a few ways to help keep sales representatives motivated so their teams can succeed, even through slumps.
Focus Is Key
No matter how slow things get, never lose focus of the sales goals. To keep team members focused during slow times, take some time to analyze areas that can be improved upon. Pass slow sales times by focusing on improvement so when things do pick up again, the team is ready to hit the ground running.
Take Time for Training
Identifying areas for improvement is a great way to help sales representatives stay motivated through slow times, as well as training. Slow times are ideal for group training, sales coaching, and other teaching activities that will help team members become the best they can be. Whether it’s reviewing deals that fail to close from the previous month to determine what went wrong or role-playing different scenarios that might play out when attempting to make a sale, training is always a valuable use of time.
Keep Things Fun with Sales Contests
Sales representatives are competitive by nature, which is why holding the occasional sales competition is a great and fun way to keep team members motivated. Whether the prize is cash at the end of the day for the representative who sells the most or the promise of a fun trip for the winning team at the end of a season, there are many different ways sales contests can be designed to get the most out of team members and keep their spirits up until sales pick up again.
Cheer for Sales Successes
Slow sales periods don’t mean the occasional success story won’t happen. In order to keep up team morale, it’s important to always celebrate any type of sales success, no matter the size. Did a team member recently hit a sales goal or close a deal with an important client? Did a newcomer make his or her very first deal? These are moments to celebrate and can provide a boost to morale during slow times. After all, everyone enjoys a celebration every once in a while.
Working in sales can be unpredictable and disappointing at times. To keep team members engaged and motivated, it’s important to find creative ways to help keep things fun while facilitating learning, so when things do pick up, the team will be ready to succeed.