Even when working remotely, a person should feel included in the process of achieving a common goal. For freelancers, material motivation is not the main factor; it is better to let them know that their work is important and appreciated by their superiors. Your ability to create a favorable atmosphere and maintain remote connections determines whether they will remain part of the team and work with you on a long-term basis.
What should be the motivation system for remote sales department employees? - Here is an approximate action plan:
Take the time to get to know each employee personally, maintain online communications, organize video conferences and Skype calls.
Assign specific personal usefulness of self employed database tasks and regularly request reports on their completion.
Share your company's development plans with remote workers. Ask them what contribution they could make to the common cause.
Invite the freelancer to come to your city or visit your physical office, providing an opportunity for personal acquaintance. It is desirable that the travel expenses are covered by the company.
When organizing events for the team (team building, training, conferences), be sure to invite remote employees as well.
Show genuine passion for your work and demonstrate faith in the company's success. Inspire your employees with this enthusiasm and encourage them to join your conviction.
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3 Typical Mistakes in Motivating Sales Employees
We have already emphasized that it is a huge mistake to limit employee motivation to material incentives only. This approach reduces human needs to simple earnings. It is important for specialists to feel their importance, status and receive a systematic assessment of their achievements. A good salesperson is satisfied with their work, and they should be interested and comfortable in the work environment. There are gross errors, identified in practice, made by managers when developing a motivation system:
Lack of intriguing or completely understandable conditions for material motivation
It is necessary to ensure that the conditions for calculating bonuses and awards for managers are clear, transparent and interesting, so that employees clearly see how to achieve the desired results, and the motivation system is quite understandable to them. When goals are clear and achievable, specialists work with passion and can overcome any obstacles. For this, it is important that each seller has a clear action plan and an understanding of what needs to be done to get even more income.
It is important to avoid setting unachievable KPIs in the motivation system: this can cause a feeling of helplessness and reduce employee interest. Often, indicators are set for bonuses that the manager personally cannot influence in any way.
Lack of stimulation from new challenges.
It is necessary to activate the dynamics in the sales department by conducting dare games. Set ambitious but realistic goals with attractive rewards for achievements. For example, you can give a bonus for completing the plan ahead of the deadline. This is an incentive game, a competition, training, and an opportunity to increase income.
Mistakes in motivating sales staff
No significant gap between the salaries of the best and worst performers.
The sales department is characterized by a competitive atmosphere and adherence to the principle of survival of the fittest. Remuneration and privileges are largely dependent on who brings the greatest benefit to the company. The principle of equal distribution of salaries can have destructive consequences. Those who prefer to receive the same fixed salary, without trying to earn more through bonuses and incentives, over time upset the work of the department. Humans are naturally inclined to conserve energy, so in order to make active sales, they must constantly have a feeling of "hunger".