Jeff doesn't know how to motivate his sales staff

Jeff, a small-business owner, wrote to me about his problems motivating his staff. For the last two years Jeff has implemented different incentives to increase sales, including performance and Christmas bonuses, sales contests and commission increases. Jeff said nothing has worked. The sales in his business have not increased and he does not see any more motivation in his staff to sell.

Jeff wants to know what more he can do, if anything, to create a sense of pride and enthusiasm among his eight employees.

There is nothing that increases pride and enthusiasm more quickly than feeling valued by your boss, and therefore your company.

To truly make your employees feel involved and part of your business it is important to nurture an open, genuine relationship with each one. You need to take an honest interest in who your employees are and get to know them. And when I say 'get to know your staff' I don't mean saying Hi in the morning, asking them how their weekend was and then launching into work-related talk. I mean really making a concerted effort to learn about who your employees are as individuals.

For example, Jeff's employees work mostly on the road so it's harder for him to create and maintain relationships with his staff. In Jeff's case he should call each sales rep every day to ask them how their day is going. Jeff shouldn't mention work at all, but instead focus on the person he is talking with. At first his employees may be a bit suspicious that he is checking up on them, but if he consistently initiates person-related conversations they will relax and start an open dialogue.

Another way for Jeff to create a feeling of trust is to invite each employee for lunch throughout the year. Jeff could use lunch as an opportunity to get to know his employees better. And then twice a year he could arrange a group lunch for the nine of them so that everyone can get to know one another. He could create some fun games that his employees can play over those lunches helping them to learn more about each other.

Jeff should continue to offer the incentives he was before, but by beginning more personal relationships with each sales rep he will be creating an atmosphere of trust and genuine interest that will pay off over time.

Needing money to live a good life is a financial reality for everyone, but nothing fosters co-operation and productivity better than creating and maintaining personal relationships with your staff.

In our society money is presented as the ultimate goal. We will be happy if we have a lot of money, money is the key to happiness, millionaires must be happy because they have a lot of money and so on and so on...

This simply isn't true. Money is a thing outside of ourselves and true fulfillment and purpose come from within. The truth is there are many unhappy people with lots of money.

Getting to know your employees is like any other relationship in your life, if it is built on respect and genuine interest it has the basic ingredients to flourish.

Nothing replaces the feeling of being valued! Nothing!

And especially not money.