Over the past few months, I've talked to many sales leaders and business owners about compensation for their sales teams and one main finding has emerged: the pandemic has revealed the gaps and flaws in the compensation structure for salespeople in B2B.

The drastic changes in market conditions have shown that many SMBs base part of their sales force compensation on factors that are not related to performance, but rather to activities. These activities often have no correlation with performance and results.

Motivation is one of the 21 competencies that make a good salesperson.

In his article Motivation is the “what” that fuels a sales representative, Dave Kurlan explains how every sales representative is different.

“Everyone is motivated by different things and for those who are clearly motivated by money, and when you have a clear goal and focus for them, their compensation should and must be commission-based. When you have people who are motivated more by recognition, awards, competition, time-off, public service, or philanthropy, your compensation program should be flexible enough to compensate them in an appropriate manner too.”

Still according to Dave Kurlan,

“Desire and Motivation are part of a triad of sorts, with the third, and most important piece being Commitment to achieve greater success in sales.”  

Your sales team is the face of your company. Your sales force develops your most loyal clients and turns new prospects into clients.

But sales is hard!

The role challenges your representatives and Sales Managers’ confidence and can drain their energy.

How do you motivate your sales team and maintain its motivation to get the best results?

Different things motivate different people: money, recognition, or even fear of losing their job. Motivation is also a moving target. As a leader, it’s difficult to create an environment that will appeal to everyone, so it’s your job to find what motivates each employee. Motivation usually has two elements: fear and desire!