MOTIVATING SALES REPRESENTATIVES
Motivation is the one single factor that lies in the performance of a great sales representative. Both internal and external elements that inspire the sales representatives to go the extra mile of motivating them to achieve the set objective. The one single factor that determines the level of an organization’s success is the inspiration put to accomplish a sales target. Sales representatives need to be enthusiastic, tenacious and dedicated to accomplishing set sales targets. Despite the stressful and dynamic environment that sales representatives work in they are required or expected to remain focused, professional and persistent. Such an environment seeks to inspire and encourage the sales representatives in order to build a formidable sales team.
Although motivation is a personal initiative, combined efforts by the management team can produce desirable sales results. This will in turn produce a positive psychological motivation in the sales representative. To speak about the common responsibilities of the salesmen, for instance, it includes preparing of the different sales presentations, contacting, calling or meeting with the potential clients, keeping aware of the latest managing technologies. The level of the efforts expended by a salesperson on each job-related assignment will lead to a given level of performance on some performance dimension (Armstrong, 2007). These dimensions include, for instance, the profitability of sales, total sales volume, or new accounts generated and will reflect the level of effort put by the sales representative.
Understanding the psychological aspect of motivation follows on Maslow’s hierarchical order of human wants. At the foundation of each, the basic requirement is adequate payment for individual and family needs. These include the basic essential needs in life for instance food on the table for family, shelter, clothing and at least ability to offer them a decent living. Safety and trust form the next level of desires that a sales representative want, which includes the assurance of a stable income and job. This is a big motivating factor as an individual is consciously aware that his job or benefits are safe. An individual’s safety is forms a very important aspect of working in a conducive environment that is free of dangers and life threatening factors. This phase will give rise to personal motivating aspects that an individual may need, and this includes esteem, respect and recognition (Miller, 2009). This forms a very important feature in helping the individual nature positive attitude towards the job. A confident sales representative can work out a big negotiation and close a deal easily as compared to less confident sales person. Finally, the fulfillment that comes in having the backing of the required conditions increases an individual’s chances of prosperity. In addition offers an inner satisfaction that acquired through the sales job as one goes about his or her duties and responsibilities (Parkinson, 1999).
Several of perceptions determine the level of motivation a sales person can input in a given task. These include Expectations, Instrumentalities, and valence for rewards. meaning the person’s ability to evaluate the amount of the efforts needed to expand on some particular task, Expectancies are the perceptions of the salesperson about referring the dependence of job efforts and performance (Prince, 2012).
The accuracy of expectancy means how the salesperson understands the relationships between the resulting achievement on some performance dimension and the effort expended on a certain task. If the salespeople’s expectancies are inaccurate, they are might totally misallocate all the job efforts. For instance, they will waste too much time or energy on activities that has no influence the result and they do not pay enough attention to the activities that play a big role. As a result, a great number of different companies are looking for the salespeople who manage to work not only hard enough, but also smart and quick thinking (Armstrong, 2007). These qualities help salesperson to analyze accurately the activities or plan their sales to make them efficient and beneficial.
An interesting quality that every modern salesperson should have is the ability to adapt to the technologies and be aware of the latest changes. Today there are a lot of ways to carry on the sales representative’s work, for example, web-conferencing, teleconferencing – they have already replaced the one-on-one presentations and they are becoming more effective. This approach gives the opportunity to attract more people and create the unbelievable presentation, which is much more than a simple PowerPoint Presentation. A skillful salesperson should plan his/her day-to-day supervision of the sales force (Armstrong, 2007). Such periodic researches and reviews will improve the accuracy of expectancy estimates.
The magnitude of expectancy evaluate reflects of the perceptions of the salesperson of her or his ability to control or to influence his or her own job performance. Moreover, psychologists suggest that the salesperson’s total level of self-esteem and perceived ability to manage necessary assignments is positively influenced by the magnitude of the person’s expectancy estimates (Bakosh, 2007). Furthermore, the salesperson’s previous sales experience and general intelligence might influence the individual’s perceived ability to improve performance through personal efforts. it is important to note that environmental constraints on a salesperson can hinder performance.
The instrumentalities are the individual’s perceptions of the connection between job performances and different kinds of rewards. The reward may be the promotion, or more payment, or winning a sales contest, etc. Usually, the sales representative deserves a reward in the form of a promotion, or recognition, and feelings of accomplishment and value all these other rewards much more highly than an increase in payment (Bakosh, 2007). In any situation, the company’s compensation plan is unlikely to influence the perceptions of the salespeople about the connection between the performance and these rewards. Therefore, a compensation plan by itself is inadequate for explaining differences in motivation among salespeople.
The definition of instrumentality estimates refers to the true connection that lies in performance in numerous dimensions and attainment of rewards as determined by management practices and policies on sales performance evaluation and rewards for levels of performance. The personal qualities of the salespeople influence the magnitude of instrumentality estimates a lot as well. For example, the individual’s perception of whether he or she controls his or her events in life or it is about external factors. Specifically, the more salespeople believe they have internal control over their lives, the more likely they are to believe improved performance will result in the attainment of rewards (Johnston & Marshall, 2013).
Valences for rewards are salespeople’s opinions of the allure of getting additional rewards based on enhanced performance. One question about valences that has always interested sales managers is whether there are consistent preferences among salespeople for specific kinds of rewards. Universally, there is no common knowledge of the kind of rewards that is most desirable and effective. Sales representative’s valences for rewards are influenced by their satisfaction with the rewards they are currently receiving. Their satisfaction with current rewards, in turn, influences their personal characteristics and by the compensation policies and management practices of their firm (Klein, 2014).
Research has identified four career stages through which salespeople go: exploration, establishment, maintenance, and disengagement. People in the earliest stage of their careers are sometimes uncertain of success in their profession of sales. To complicate issues further, underdeveloped skills and a lack of knowledge tends to make people at this early stage among the poorest sales representatives (Bakosh, 2007). Consequently, people in the exploration stage tend to have low psychological involvement with their job and low job satisfaction.
Consequently, good training programs, supportive supervision, and a great deal of recognition and encouragement are useful for motivating and improving the performance of salespeople (Johnston & Marshal, 2013). Those in the establishment stage have settled on an occupation and have a passion for building a prosperous profession. Thus, the major concerns of salespeople at this stage involve improvement of abilities both in sales and in management. As they gain confidence, these people’s expectancy, and instrumentality perceptions reach their highest level. People at this stage believe they will be successful if they devote sufficient effort to the job and their success require rewards (Lidstone, 1995).
Normally discouragement sets in by what they consider as slow progress and quit for jobs in other companies that promise faster advancement or they move prematurely into a disengagement stage (Byrne et al., 2010). To help prevent this, managers should guard against building unrealistic expectations concerning the likelihood and speed of future promotions among their established stage salespeople.
Majority individual’s primary concern at the maintenance stage is on how to retain the current position, rank, and performance in sales. For this reason, people in the maintenance stage continue to have high valences for rewards that reflect high status and good performance, for instance, formal acknowledgment and respect of their peers and superiors. By this stage, though, both the opportunity and desire for promotion diminish. Consequently, instrumentality estimates and valences concerning promotion fall to lower levels (Angelers, 2014). However, salespeople at this stage often have the highest valences for increased pay and financial incentives of anyone in the sales force. Even though such people are among the highest-paid, they tend to seek more money due to both increased financial obligations and a desire for a symbol of success in lieu of promotion (Mooney, 2015).
During this disengagement stage, people psychologically withdraw from their job, often reduce output to spend time personal issues. Consequently, such people have little interest in attaining highly rewarding jobs (Byrne et al, 2010).
What is most disconcerting about disengagement, however, is that it does not occur only among salespeople at the end of their careers. As mentioned earlier, long before they approach retirement age, people may become bored with their jobs and frustrated by failure to win promotion. Such people may psychologically withdraw from their jobs rather than search for a new position or occupation (Klein, 2014).
Plateauing, or premature detachment, is not a remote phenomenon amongst sales representatives. Indeed, suggestions imply that 96 percent of all companies have a problem with plateaued salespeople. Moreover, as many as 25 percent of all salespeople operate in a comfort zone that reduces or eliminates the motivation to be a high performer. The primary causes of early disengagement are the boredom and frustration that arise when a relatively young person maintains the same job too long without the likelihood of a promotion (Mooney, 2015).
Incentive administration based on knowing simple human inspirational factors on the significance of reliance, self-esteem, societal acknowledgment and better probabilities to accomplish one’s abilities (Angelers, 2014). The following are strategies and measures that can enhance the relationship between the management and the sales people that would help boost their morale.
Regular meeting that is keen to addressing their work, responsibilities, and objectives. The management need to address personal issues that may affect performance such as worries, and other factors that may arise.
Offer regular training to the sales representatives that focus on improving their abilities and sales performance. The training can focus on aspects such as personal growth, penetrating the market, management skills, increasing sales and much more training that is relevant.
Mold motivational plans for every sales representative as per their tastes, preferences and abilities. This will enhance the effect of the motivations on each as per their personality
Develop an effective, reasonable and workable reward system that resonates well with the sales representatives. The system needs review on a periodical basis to enhance its effectiveness.
Interim bonuses such as gift cards, lunch, trips, a club membership can go an extra mile in inspiring the sales team to meeting their set targets.
There is much confusion and controversy about how to motivate salespeople. Traditionally, money has been the primary method, and financial rewards are still important. Money is the determinant of a salesperson’s purchasing power, it is a symbol of status, and it is an indication of equitable treatment. However, some salespeople feel motivated by other rewards. It is up to the sales manager to determine the appropriate incentives, including monetary rewards, for each salesperson (Byrne et al., 2010).
Changes in selling have led to changes in sales incentives and compensation. The current selling environment places an emphasis on tying a firm’s strategic goals to sales compensation. Combination plans are a way in which companies encourage their sales forces to focus not only on making sales quotas but also on achieving less quantitative objectives, such as customer service (Angelers, 2014). Some of the innovative areas include Global sales, team selling, national account management, services selling, and selling in new businesses along with fringe benefits for salespeople.
Conclusion
Performance of sales representatives significantly determines the success or failure of an organization . Motivation is the chief factor that draws out the best from sales representatives. By use of a reward system and creative motivating strategies, an organization can go a long way in tapping the best from its sales team. Management ought to put great emphasis on inspiring their sales team in any way possible by use of incentives, promotions, and reward system that would encourage them to put extra effort at their responsibilities. The sales representatives in conjunction with the management need to work as a team in coming up with productive strategies and measures to keep their morale’s and spirits high at their jobs. This would help in understanding what or how each representative is motivated in turn bringing out the best from them.
