Effective sales managers give their teams, an overview of the full picture and what the company is trying to achieve. Then, they work with each person to establish individual targets that will meet or exceed the corporate objectives.

Every target must be specific and detailed, then, your people can visualise its outcome. Make the target important to the person who is responsible for achieving it, if not, they may lose interest, particularly if it is a longer term objective.

Targets should have a good chance of being achievable while still challenging the individual to push themselves beyond their existing comfort zone. Each target must be relevant to the main objective of the organisation and relevant to the overall success of the company.

Set a time frame and deadline for each target and ensure the deadline is realistic but, at the same time, challenging.

Work with your team members to help them determine the targets that would be most appropriate for their development and growth and work with them to develop the appropriate action steps to achieve these targets and you will see a noticeable improvement in their performance

Communicate and tell your team what is happening, sales people are hungry for information and from my experience, can be trusted with company details. Unfortunately, too many corporations and their middle managers feel that people should only be given information that is relevant to their specific job.

Keep them aware of the progress you are making in achieving your targets, people are naturally curious and want to know how they are doing. Do not reveal confidential information, but share information about the overall status of the company.

If sales are down and you need your people to focus on generating new accounts or business then tell them. If costs are climbing then advise your employees that they need to be aware of their expenses.

Regular update meetings, email correspondence, broadcast voice mails are just some of the ways you can communicate with your team. Another effective method is through casual discussions. Communication must be clear and concise, employees want to know where they stand and, all but a few, want to do a good job. They want to know how, you, as their manager, view their performance. That’s why it is critical that you give them direction and feedback on a regular basis.

Experience has taught me that people will work harder for someone who praises them and recognises the effort they put into their work. Acknowledge their energy and performance, their effort and commitment, how hard they worked and how involved they were with it.

Your sales people have a lot of knowledge and information and can often contribute valuable suggestions to improve the business. If you really want to create a team of highly motivated sales people take the time to listen to their comments and ideas.

Foster an environment that encourages the open sharing of information. Great leaders are always open to new ideas and methods of improving business and some of the best ideas come from the customer facing employees.

This last point is the most important. If you want a highly motivated sales team, then you must lead by setting the example. You must demonstrate enthusiasm, energy, team cooperation, honesty, integrity and commitment.

Treat people with respect and dignity, give them the tools to excel, grow and develop and encourage them to participate and get involved. Ask them for feedback, listen to their comments, and act on suggestions that will help your business succeed.

Set and communicate high standards, provide positive reinforcement when your team members perform and involve them. You will soon see a team that will do almost anything to help you succeed.
Sales Motivation

No weight loss program is going to turn you into the next super model, or hunk of burning beefcake. Everyone’s body type is set predominantly by genetics. You’re either an endomorph (prone to putting on weight), an ectomorph (prone to avoiding weight gain) or one of the small fraction of the population who’s a mesomorph (prone to putting on weight as muscle.)

This doesn’t mean diet and exercise won’t help you, but the key to keeping motivated in weight loss is to have realistic goals and assessments of the outcomes. If you’re an endomorph, you’re always going to be an endomorph. (All those diet aid ads that show amazing weight loss? Those people they’ve got in the ads are usually mesomorphs, who, due to injury or illness, have put on a lot of weight – and then lost it due to tricks of their metabolism.)

So, if dieting and exercise won’t turn you into a mesomorph, why do it? Well, even a small amount of weight loss will give you a lot more energy for getting through your day, and accepting that you’re the best you that you can be – even if you aren’t a size 4, or carrying around rock hard abs, is good for the self esteem. There are lots of benefits to losing a little weight and keeping yourself healthy, from stress reduction, to breaking down free radicals in the body, to retarding the effects of aging. Your body will just work better, and, hey, if civilization ever falls, and you’re having to lead a pack of hunter gatherers armed with spears, at least you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Now, all that being said – to keep your motivation up, keep to realistic goals, and keep at it. Nothing nukes the old motivation like feeling like you’ve backslid, or plateau’d. All diets have their slow periods, and all weight loss regimens have their flattened peaks, where your body adjusts to the new focus on caloric intact, and stabilizes on it, rather than reducing weight.

Work with people who are in the same boat that you are, body type wise, and weight and fitness goal wise. Doing anything with a supportive group of friends is easy – whether it’s law school, skydiving, or trying to get rid of two inches on your waistline.
Weight Loss Motivation