6 Smart Ways to Motivate Employees and Boost Sales in Any Business

The success of a business is largely dependent on the productivity of its workforce. Unlike computers, which can be programmed to repeat specific tasks non-stop, humans are wired differently. Managers’ efficiency is judged by how well they motivate their employees to deliver quality results. This is how the company gets a good Return On Investment (ROI). The onus of boosting sales of a firm’s products and services is on the sales and marketing teams alone. In reality, the contribution of every employee significantly impacts the sales performance.

no matter how good the sales department is, if the product team delivers a sub-par product or service, they are more than likely to fail in promoting the product. Even if they can convince some customers to make the first purchase, the number of returning buyers will be low; this is without mention of the bad publicity that dissatisfied customers would give the brand.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to motivating employees, several effective techniques can be implemented to make your workers stay engaged and inspired. Here are some smart ways to motivate employees and boost sales in any business.

Best Ways To Motivate Employees and Boost Sales

1. Hire the right people

Employees’ motivation starts from the hiring process. Focusing more on hiring individuals with values that fit your organization is essential. It is easier to teach employees new skills than to get them inspired by your company’s vision.

Hiring the right people for your organization can also reduce turnover and save you lots of expenses on recurrent recruitment. Your onboarding process should also be efficient enough for new hires to blend quickly.

It is equally important to play people to their strength instead of their weaknesses. Placing people in teams that are incapable of contributing anything significant is a waste of the company’s resources. To complete tasks productively, ensure tasks are matched to people with the right skills and knowledge.

2. Offer the proper training and education

The workspace is evolving. Your employees must have the proper knowledge and skills to remain competitive. Unlike decades ago, companies now incorporate technology tools to track employees’ behavior. Technology has also made it possible to complete tasks in less time, faster than if they were done manually.

Examine their productivity and ask questions to determine the training they need. Training can be directly related to their daily activities, such as teaching them how to use new equipment or soft skills such as time management, leadership, and team collaboration.

It is also essential that you make the training different from a typical class lecture. People prefer to learn in different ways. Present them with a variety of courses with flexible time. This will allow them to learn at their own pace and the best way they can assimilate.

3. Reward employees and customers

Publicly praising employees for a job well done can boost their morale. This does not necessarily have to be monetary incentives. It can be as simple as presenting them with award plaques.

This also applies to your customers. You can reward them with discounts or your wholesale partners with symbolic awards. Such actions will make the job of your sales and marketing team easier as they have enough incentives to convince them to patronize your brand.

A study found that employees were significantly more productive after receiving a physical, non-monetary gift than when they received small financial gifts. Do not do this for the sake of doing it. It has to be genuine, and how it is presented also matters.

An appreciation letter to a team carries more weight if signed by a top executive. If you operate a remote work system, you can have these letters or awards mailed to your employees’ homes.

4. Get rid of unproductive meetings

Even though meetings can provide a forum for employees to share ideas, make decisions, and build relationships, they can be stressful. A study found that meetings and other unproductive activities in the office wasted 40 to 80 percent of people’s time.

Reduce the number of meetings as much as possible. All hold meetings for decisions that demand people to be present. Doing this will give your employees enough time to be productive.

5. Provide the right conditions for work

People are most productive in a positive working environment. Working overtime does not increase productivity. Productivity steadily decreases when employees hit 40 hours weekly and worse when they hit 50. Some of the policies companies are adopting to prevent this include:

• Four-day work week.
• Six-hour work day.
• 7 a.m. daily starts.
• Meeting free Fridays.
• Project checklists.

6. Track employees and sales performance

With the right tools, you can track your employees’ performance. Likewise, you can track your sales performance. This can help you determine which employee is bringing more business and those that are not. There are also tools you can use to identify the skills they need to function better and ways they can improve sales.