{"id":1181,"date":"2020-04-15T10:58:44","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T14:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.comblog\/boosting-sales-team-morale\/"},"modified":"2020-04-15T19:38:27","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T19:38:27","slug":"boosting-sales-team-morale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/boosting-sales-team-morale\/","title":{"rendered":"Boosting Sales Team Morale When No One is Buying"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et-l et-l--post\">\n<div class=\"et_builder_inner_content et_pb_gutters3\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_section et_pb_section_2 et_section_regular\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_0\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column_0 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s face it, if your business is not in video communications, medical devices, insurance, or cyber security, sales are likely to be lousy during the COVID-19 pandemic. That means the majority of sales leaders are left to answer and solve two difficult questions: 1. How to restock an empty pipeline? and 2: How to ensure my team\u2019s morale is high and motivated to perform the behaviors necessary to restock pipelines when achieving quota \u2013 and receiving a great commission payout \u2013 is out of the question?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using our experience building and managing sales teams through the .com Bubble through to the 2008 Global Financial Meltdown, combined with research from Harvard Business School and McKinsey, this article lists three actionable steps revenue generation leaders can take to ensure their sales team\u2019s morale stays high, even when no one is buying.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 1: Ensure Your Team Believes in the Plan<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fifty-one percent of salespeople surveyed in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peak\u2019s 2020 Sales Culture Study<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> said that the number one factor impacting their team\u2019s morale was leadership. \u201cIt starts with leadership,\u201d said one of our respondents. \u201cFrom there the team has to trust we are all on the same page with our eye on the same goal.\u201d Not only do team and organizational leaders need to ensure a robust sense of trust and alignment within the team, but they are also responsible for fostering a culture of empowerment\u2014as opposed to one of control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A culture of empowerment starts with extreme transparency in the plan. Reps want to know <\/span><b>the five Ws:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who are we targeting?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the goals?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where are we focusing our efforts?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When are we expected to do this?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why are we taking this approach?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They also want to know how the plan and expectations have been adapted to fit a new environment where very few prospects have budget to invest. Perhaps most importantly, they want to know that leadership understands that the approaches needed to connect with buyers have changed \u2013 and that leadership will have their back as they test and explore a value-focused strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 2: Embraced a Value-Focused Strategy<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe goal is to make 150 calls per day.\u201d \u201cSmile and dial.\u201d \u201cCoffee\u2019s for Closers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional sales-first approaches, expectations, and mentalities like the quotes above are not effective in regular business climates, never mind one characterized by extreme uncertainty and volatility. Sales leaders who expect reps to maintain MQL to SQL ratios, sales cycle rates, or deal sizes in this climate have lost touch with the realities experienced by front-line reps. When expectations and goals don\u2019t match realities, trust in and respect for the leader erodes while team morale declines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So how do successful leaders get the most out of their teams when yesterday\u2019s tactics no longer work? They embrace a value-focused sales strategy. This strategy recognizes the challenges faced by reps today while adopting a true consultative sales approach <\/span><b>characterized by three pillars:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding and empathizing with the challenges faced by a prospect\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providing complimentary advice, insights, and perspectives not found anywhere else and that are valued by the prospect<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resisting the urge to sell\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taken together, these three pillars force reps to play the long game. That means not focusing on closing deals now, but instead following a path that leads to better and bigger success in the long term. And in the short-term, reps can stop worrying about \u201cstriking out\u201d and instead focus on doing what they do best \u2013 solving problems and pain points. This translates into a win-win situation for reps and leaders alike, driving and boosting team morale.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 3: Don\u2019t Forget The Basics<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During times of extreme pressure or crisis, it\u2019s easy for leaders to forget the basics of team motivation and morale. During times of normalcy, sales leaders keep engagement and happiness levels high by offering bonuses and commission accelerators. This approach taps into the fact that salespeople are intrinsically driven by money. But when monetary incentives aren\u2019t available as a lever to push, leaders need to identify the non-financial incentives required to keep morale high. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/organization\/our-insights\/motivating-people-getting-beyond-money\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A report in McKinsey Quarterly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, using data gathered from the firm\u2019s survey of 1,047 employees, managers, and executives, notes that these types of motivators can help foster employee engagement across sectors, jobs, and business contexts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Specifically, respondents reported that praise from direct managers, personal attention from leadership, and opportunities to lead projects are no less\u2014and at times more\u2014effective than the top three financial incentives: cash bonuses, salary bumps, and stock or stock options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<table style=\"width: 0%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 53.629%;\">\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The top three <\/span><\/i><b><i>non-financial<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> incentive<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Praise from direct managers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personal attention from leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opportunities to lead projects<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are <\/span><\/i><b><i>as effective or more effective<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 44.7581%;\">\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026the top three <\/span><\/i><b><i>financial<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> incentive<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cash bonuses<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salary bumps<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stock or stock options<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/organization\/our-insights\/motivating-people-getting-beyond-money\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McKinsey Quarterly<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For seasoned managers and leaders, the non-financial incentives listed above should not be surprising. Praise and personal attention, particularly in times of uncertainty, matter to reps. And from an employee performance perspective, it needs to matter to leaders too. Just take recent research from Harvard Business School and Microsoft, which found that employees who received twice the number of one-on-ones with their manager relative to their peers were <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/12\/what-great-managers-do-daily\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">67% less likely to be disengaged<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disengaged employees do not feel valued, supported, respected, or secure. According to studies run by the Queens School of Business and the Gallup Organization, disengaged workers were found to have:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">37% higher absenteeism<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">49% more accidents<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">60% more errors and defects\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organizations with low employee engagement scores also revealed diminished business results:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18% lower productivity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16% lower profitability<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">37% lower job growth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">65% lower share price over time<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Take Action Now<\/b><\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High team morale is a driving force of top line revenues, customer satisfaction and the bottom line. But in times of uncertainty and restrained budgets, sales team morale can plummet. For leaders, this requires changing their playbook to accommodate the selling relaties faced by their teams. That requires building a plan that their team believes in, changing the sales strategy to focus on long-term value creation, and ensuring that basic management principles are being followed. Combined, these factors will help sales leaders overcome the fact that few prospects are buying and impacts this has on their team\u2019s morale.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help put these plans into action, consider reaching out to the <\/span><\/i><b><i>Peak Sales Recruiting<\/i><\/b><b><i> Hotline<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This free resource has been established to help sales and business leaders navigate through the pains of today\u2019s selling and hiring environments. Simply dial 1-800-964-0946 and follow the prompts.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\"><picture class=\"aligncenter wp-image-206687\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<\/picture>\n<picture class=\"aligncenter wp-image-206687\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" style=\"font-size: 17px; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n<p><img alt=\"Sales Morale\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"364\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/How-to-Motivate-Your-Team-when-No-one-is-Buying.jpg?strip=all&resize=647%2C364\" width=\"647\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- relpost-thumb-wrapper --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-thumb-wrapper\"><!-- filter-class --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-thumb-container\">\n<h3>Related posts<\/h3>\n<div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- relpost-block-container --><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-container\"><a class=\"relpost-block-single\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/21-reasons-top-salespeople-leave\/\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div aria-label=\"Why Your Sales Reps are Leaving\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url(https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Why-Your-Sales-Reps-are-Leaving-1-150x150.png) no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif;;  font-size: 15px;  color: #6eba57;\">21 Reasons Why Your Best Sales Reps Are Leaving [Infographic]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"relpost-block-single\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/building-a-sales-team\/\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div aria-label=\"12 Steps for Building a Top-Performing Sales Team\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url(https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sales-team-150x150.jpg) no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif;;  font-size: 15px;  color: #6eba57;\">12 Steps for Building a Top-Performing Sales Team<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"relpost-block-single\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/sales-reps-quit\/\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 215px;\">\n<div aria-label=\"21 Ways to Make Your Top Sellers Quit\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" style=\"background: transparent url(https:\/\/g9d6c5a5.rocketcdn.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/run-2-150x150.png) no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\" style=\"font-family: ProximaNova, sans-serif;;  font-size: 15px;  color: #6eba57;\">21 Ways to Make Your Top Sellers Quit<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- close relpost-block-container --><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- close filter class --><\/div>\n<p><!-- close relpost-thumb-wrapper --><\/p>\n<div class=\"abh_box abh_box_down abh_box_business\">\n<ul class=\"abh_tabs\">\n<li class=\"abh_about abh_active\"><a href=\"#abh_about\">About<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"abh_posts\"><a href=\"#abh_posts\">Latest Posts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"abh_tab_content\">\n<section class=\"vcard abh_about_tab abh_tab\" style=\"display:block\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><img class=\"photo\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/brent-thomson.png?strip=all&resize=80%2C80\" width=\"80\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\"> <\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h3 class=\"fn name\"><a class=\"url\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/bthomson\/\">Brent Thomson<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"abh_job\"><span class=\"title\">Co-Founder<\/span> at <span class=\"org\">Peak Sales Recruiting<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\">Before Peak, Brent worked in sales and sales-leadership positions for 18 years. He has considerable experience building and running high-performance teams, which consistently won awards and exceeded sales targets. He was Vice President of Sales for a financial management consulting company, and served with Borland Software as a Regional Sales Manager.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"abh_posts_tab abh_tab\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><img class=\"photo\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/media.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/brent-thomson.png?strip=all&resize=80%2C80\" width=\"80\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\"> <\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h4>Latest posts by Brent Thomson <span class=\"abh_allposts\">(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/author\/bthomson\/\">see all<\/a>)<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"abh_description note\">\n<ul>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-to-hire-salespeople-outside-your-industry-2\/\">How to Hire Salespeople Outside Your Industry<\/a><span> &#8211; December 20, 2023<\/span> <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/10-recruiter-skills-you-can-leverage-in-your-job-search\/\">10 Recruiter Skills You Can Leverage in Your Job Search<\/a><span> &#8211; December 18, 2023<\/span> <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/how-to-interview-sales-managers-and-find-well-rounded-talent\/\">How to Interview Sales Managers and Find Well-Rounded Talent<\/a><span> &#8211; December 14, 2023<\/span> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"><\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s face it, if your business is not in video communications, medical devices, insurance, or cyber security, sales are likely to be lousy during the COVID-19 pandemic. That means the majority of sales leaders are left to answer and solve two difficult questions: 1. How to restock an empty pipeline? and 2: How to ensure<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"text-primary mt-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/blog\/boosting-sales-team-morale\/\">&#8230;continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;Boosting Sales Team Morale When No One is Buying&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sales-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1181"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1181\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksalesrecruiting.com\/wp-json\/\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}