Sales managers have to be part-time psychologists in their leadership position.  The best salespeople have an internal motivation that drives them to succeed.  Yet, a strong sales manager still has to know each salesperson’s drivers and how to access them when needed.

Selling Power offers a short article titled Internalizing Motivation that discusses this topic: 

Sales trainer Don Hutson recounts the story about a sales manager who approached him at one of his seminars and said, “I don’t believe in motivation because it doesn’t last.” Hutson replied, “A bath doesn’t either, but it’s a good idea to take one once in a while.”

Hutson says sales managers can’t directly motivate salespeople to sell any more than salespeople can directly motivate customers to buy. It’s an indirect process. Motivation has to come from within if it’s going to work and last. Sales managers can create an atmosphere and environment around their salespeople that encourages self-motivation.

That bath line from the above quote is priceless.  Motivation is important in that there will always be days where a salesperson could use some external motivation.  I won’t define what that motivation needs to be, but you get my point.

The first key to properly motivating a salesperson is knowing what that salesperson’s motivation is and, simultaneously, knowing what rewards they value.  These are measurable traits that can be provided to a sales manager as part of our sales development plan.

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He’s old.  And he rarely reads my posts so this gift will still be a surprise to him.

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