7 ways to boost sales team morale

There’s a reason that ‘sales motivation’ gets thousands of searches per month in search engines.

With 60% of businesses not meeting revenue targets this past year, it’s no wonder that sales leaders are searching for ways to boost team morale.

As a sales leader, you know you have targets to hit, and your reps are the key to making it happen. So it’s no secret that whether your sales reps are motivated (or not) can have a major impact on a company’s bottom line and ability to hit targets.

When it comes to maintaining sales team morale, it’s important not to look at it as a one and done approach. Instead, it’s something that continuously requires your foot on the gas.

What can cause sales team morale to fluctuate?

There are a number of things that can cause the morale and motivation of your sales team to ebb and flow.

Keep in mind, sometimes what could seem like a lack of motivation can actually be chalked up to a lack of clarity. Either way, here are some common causes for fluctuating sales team morale:

• Unclear goals at the individual level, or reps feeling unsure of individual and team impact toward the bigger picture
• Reps aren’t being driven by the right motivators (e.g., some reps may be more motivated by money, whereas others may prefer paid time off, public praise, or remote days)
• Unclear commission structures, leaving reps confused on how and where their commissions are coming from, or alternatively, a constantly changing commission plan
• Poor sales processes and enablement
• Unclear career paths

The first step in boosting sales team morale is identifying the problem(s) at hand. Remember, keeping reps engaged is not optional, but a business essential requirement.

Once equipped with this information, you can take the following tips into account to boost your team’s morale and get back to crushing quota.

7 ways to boost sales team morale

Now that we’ve identified potential causes of declining team morale, let’s discuss some ways in which you can instead boost morale and get your team crushing numbers in no time.

1. Provide the equipment and tools needed for success

The risk: Without the proper equipment and tools, reps may not be equipped to do their job… literally.

The reward: Provide reps with adequate tools and equipment needed to do their job, whether it's in the office or remote. Consider work-from-home allowances for reps to ensure their home workspace is primed and ready for duty.

2. Offer enticing incentives based on performance

The risk: If you're not incentivizing your reps in a way that matters to them, they may not push themselves to meet or exceed quota.

The reward: Get creative and run competitions with appealing prizes (remember to request team feedback on prize options). This could look like virtual wine tasting, cooking classes, gift cards, new iPads, bonuses, an extra day off, etc...

3. Empower togetherness

The risk: Creating an all-against-one environment never helped anyone in sales. Teams who work against each other rather than with each other are less likely to hit targets.

The reward: Fostering a team environment will come back tenfold by enhancing company culture and creating a positive work environment. Bring teams together via shared interest groups, philanthropy, or mentorships.

4. Reward real work, not the tedious tasks that don’t move the needle

The risk: Distracting reps with tedious tasks such as data entry prevent them from actionable to-do items that actually progress the pipeline forward.

The reward: Reward real work rather than the monotonous and allow reps to get back to what they do best— selling. By empowering reps to focus on needle-moving activities, you are bound to see a boost in performance.

5. Welcome experimentation

The risk: Some live by the rule “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” but doing so can mean missing out on potential opportunities.

The reward: Encourage reps to get creative to solve unique problems and deliver key outcomes. By allowing reps to step outside of the lines when the reward outweighs the risks, you might gain an otherwise 'unclosable' customer.

6. Enable your team with sales tech

The risk: As discussed above, when reps focus more on tedious tasks and less on needle-moving ones, the pipeline is likely to show for it.

The reward: Providing your reps with the right tech and tools enables them to focus on their job while reaping the benefits of increased productivity and better job performance. Sales tech also provides leaders with stronger data and insights for better coaching reps.

7. Run more effective 1:1s using data

The risk: Without strong data, sales leaders rely on guesswork and instincts to coach their reps and team to success, which can be a frustrating, fruitless exercise for the rep AND the manager.

The reward: By utilizing effective data, leaders can have more effective 1:1 coaching sessions, set intentional goals and KPIs, and overall better lead their team.

Let's get moving

Hopefully after reading this post, you understand the importance of maintaining sales team morale and a few different ways you can boost morale on your team. However, if you’re ready to dig a little deeper, be sure to check out our latest ebook on three key ways you can motivate your sales team to crush quota.