Let’s admit it…sales is no walk in the park…but being a sales supervisor ain’t easy either. You’re constantly busy, continually looking for new ways to motivate your sales people that will get them to perform better every day. Let’s be honest, with all the pressures coming at you every day, and the pressure to get people you don’t directly control every action or word they say, its really one of the hardest jobs around!

Complexity can kill you. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective. Simple works…simple is good.

Take into account getting to know your sales people so you could manage them better. How do you find out what makes them tick? What makes them laugh? What gets them excited? The secret is so darn simple..

Simply ask them!

Visit their workstation, take them to lunch, and get to work on getting to know them on a personal level. Understand what makes them tick.

Get out there with them!

Simply put, your goal is to find out what they want, not what they think they want for themselves.

Here are a few good questions to ask your salespeople:

• What are the obstacles standing in the way of what you want?
• What drives you?
• What are you shooting for in your current role?
• Do you know how your role in the company gets you paid? How do you get paid?
• Where do you see your career is headed?
• How do like to get praised? Public, private, written, verbal?
• What are you good at?
• Tell me your experiences about your best and worst boss?
• Can you tell me about the most memorable recognition you’ve received in your career?

This is your ace in the hole. Once you’ve had a good long talk with your sales people, you now have the golden information to guide your interactions with them from here on out. Now that you know what makes them tick, gear all your interactions with them around this information. Get to know them, then use that information to make them even better than they think they are capable of being.

If you can make them feel good about themselves, and they’ll constantly outdo their own performance over time. If they reach their goals and become better sales people, then you’re on YOUR way to reaching your own goals. Congratulations. A job well done!

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Post a response below and tell me in what ways you’ve been successful in uncovering your sales reps’ motivations and deep desires.