{"id":551,"date":"2016-07-05T14:05:04","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T19:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/?p=551"},"modified":"2016-07-05T14:08:17","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T19:08:17","slug":"improve-sales-performance-44-with-this-one-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/05\/improve-sales-performance-44-with-this-one-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve Sales Performance 44% With This One Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-551 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/05\/improve-sales-performance-44-with-this-one-change\/recognition-award\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Recognition-Award-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Recognition-Award-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Recognition-Award-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Recognition-Award.jpg 693w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/05\/improve-sales-performance-44-with-this-one-change\/bullseye\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/bullseye-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/01\/7-quick-ways-to-kick-start-sales-this-summer\/istock_000016220503medium\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/iStock_000016220503Medium-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/iStock_000016220503Medium-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/iStock_000016220503Medium-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/iStock_000016220503Medium-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/iStock_000016220503Medium.jpg 1386w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Do you want to increase sales?<\/p>\n<p>If not, stop reading this . . .<\/p>\n<p>According to a recent study by Xceleration, &#8220;incentive programs can increase performance by 22% while a 44% performance\u00a0 increase is found in programs that run for a year or more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The question is, do you know what motivates your people?\u00a0 A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works.\u00a0 It is vital that you take the time and create programs that create the following benefits:<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Motivation at all Levels<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Most employees like to feel recognized for their hard work.\u00a0 They all want to know that the top people are taking notice and appreciate their efforts.\u00a0 Frequent Recognition is vital.\u00a0 Sales people are wired up not just to want recognition; they usually <em><strong>need<\/strong><\/em> personal recognition.\u00a0 Make sure you take the time to frequently say &#8220;Thank You&#8221; or &#8220;Good Job&#8221; not only when direct reports accomplish out of the ordinary results, but also everyday successes!\u00a0 Keep in mind, not only do employees want recognition from Managers, but we should encourage recognition between colleagues.\u00a0 We also need to create incentive programs that can provide creative solutions not just to reward the top performers, but motivate middle performers, and help poor performers focus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Retain Great Employees:<\/strong><\/span><strong>\u00a0<\/strong> Another benefit of having customized incentive programs is retention.\u00a0 It takes a lot of time and money to find the best players for our team.\u00a0 So what are we doing to keep them with us after we hire them?\u00a0 The right incentives will show our employees they are appreciated and will inspire them to go the extra mile. You can survey your group to see what matters to them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Boost <\/strong><strong>Sales<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> By targeting incentives to all employees, not just the top performers, the entire sales\u00a0force is motivated to work harder, therefore bringing in revenue that might be missed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Clear Road Map for Advancement<\/strong><\/span><strong>:\u00a0<\/strong> Another incentive that drives performance is a clear road map for advancement.\u00a0 Is your structure set up to show a true &#8220;career&#8221; for your direct reports?\u00a0 Do they see the light at the end of the tunnel or do they just look at this as another job?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So at this point you might be saying &#8220;that sounds great, but what are some ideas that are budget friendly?&#8221; \u00a0Well, here are some ideas for Rewards &amp; Recognition:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take them out to breakfast, lunch or dinner.<\/li>\n<li>Send a praise letter to family or spouse.<\/li>\n<li>Hold a Sales\/Company kickoff meeting and give out plaques.<\/li>\n<li>Publicize a &#8220;Wall of Fame.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Give out certificates to their favorite restaurant, movie theatre, clothing store, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Open and close meetings with praise.<\/li>\n<li>Give recognition in monthly newsletters.<\/li>\n<li>Give them an extra day off.<\/li>\n<li>Provide opportunities for them to attend a training or seminar they would like.<\/li>\n<li>Have a President or CEO call and personally &#8220;Thank them.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Ask individuals or team what they would like for rewards (survey them).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you want more guidance and additional ideas on how to build and retain a high performance team, just join us at one of our upcoming <strong>Management &amp; Leadership Academy classes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>July 11 &#8211; 12th in Schaumburg, IL (Chicagoland area)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>October 11- 12th in Schaumburg, IL (Chicagoland area)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To find out more about this class, please contact Melissa Whitaker at 847.845.4922 or info@melissawhitakerintl.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you want to increase sales? If not, stop reading this . . . According to a recent study by Xceleration, &#8220;incentive programs can increase performance by 22% while a 44% performance\u00a0 increase is found in programs that run for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/05\/improve-sales-performance-44-with-this-one-change\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[156,1],"tags":[46,166,196,197,187,25,188,39,194],"class_list":["post-551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-management-insight-tips","category-mwi-news","tag-business-strategy","tag-business-tips","tag-increased-sales-performance","tag-management-excellence","tag-revenue","tag-sales","tag-sales-cycle","tag-success","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":572,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions\/572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}