How to incentivize sales reps is a question that often comes up when it comes time to making vital changes to your sales team. The answer is never simple. Sometimes you have to get creative in your approach.
Incentives Vs. Rewards
It is important for sales representatives to understand the difference between incentives and rewards. Rewards are tangible benefits that people can take home. For example, there might be a reward system in which your reps earn a point every time they bring a new customer. The points can then be redeemed for vouchers or benefits.
Incentives on the other hand, are rewards that come after a certain action. You might give your reps a discount or you might give them the opportunity to promote your brand at a discount. Most incentives are used in the short term. To give a gentle nudge in the right direction rather than a full fledged reward system.
For instance, if you want to motivate your sales reps to promote your brand, then you should provide them with a discount. This discount could be a percentage off of the cost of your products. However, your discount should be for a very limited period of time. The discount should be an incentive to your reps, rather than a reward.
Free Trials
Another method to incentivize your sales reps is a free trial of a new product. If your products have been around for some time and you have plenty of feedback from existing customers, you can use this information to improve your brand. But, if the product doesn’t have a lot of shelf time, you can test it’s effectiveness with your sales team.
Incentives are important for your reps. But you also need to look into the bigger picture and make sure that the incentives you offer actually bring in more sales. If the incentives don’t bring in enough sales, then you may have to look into other options for motivation.
Define Your Goals
You need to set goals for your reps. Your goal should always be aligned with your business strategy. It should help your business achieve what you want. If your goal is to increase sales by 50%, then your goal will need to be aligned with how you want your company to achieve this goal. You should also include your goals in your incentives package. When you do, you need to make sure that they are concrete and quantifiable. so that you can measure their performance against your goals.
Get your reps excited about their job. When you are planning your incentive packages, you should remember that they should also feel like part of your team. They should have a sense of ownership. When you do that, you are building a positive relationship.
So, make sure you keep these things in mind when you are designing incentives for your sales team. This will help you make sure that your reps keep working hard and that they are actually benefiting from your efforts.
