Sales Management: the Incredible Impact of Knowing how to Say “Well Done”

Every employee deserves to be praised at some point. The benevolent management approach is a topic that increasingly concerns both managers and employees. Salespeople, often facing a very demanding daily routine, also need recognition in their work. As World Compliment Day took place a few days ago (March 1st), we delve into why and how to use compliments with your sales teams.

Under What Circumstances should You Praise a Salesperson?

There are many reasons to praise an employee, and you shouldn’t limit yourself to simple sales objectives. When one of your salespeople achieves exceptional results, going beyond their ‘classic’ objectives and demonstrating that they have gone above and beyond, you should congratulate them. You can also praise an employee who, facing impossible deadlines, managed to meet a client’s particularly high demands. This will reward their efforts and make them want to repeat their performance. A sales director’s act of saying “well done” to an employee can also inspire their colleagues to do the same.

Also reward your team’s initiative and responsiveness in the face of the unexpected: these are qualities that deserve to be highlighted and promoted within a team. Finally, it happens that an employee makes a mistake, fails to meet their objectives, or doesn’t meet a certain level of expectation. This is not a tragedy in itself, but if they manage to rectify their behavior, correct themselves, and improve in their work, praise them! They will know that their progress has been noticed and that they have ‘grown’ professionally.

What are the Recommended Methods for Praising an Employee?

Two methods stand out:

• An individual praise meeting is perfectly suited for this type of situation. Why should it be reserved only for annual reviews or disciplinary meetings? In this context, start by reviewing what has been positive from a factual standpoint: to do this, think about expressing yourself in the first person. “I noticed that…”, the facts and consequences will be highlighted by your personal observation. You will then need to express your satisfaction as a manager: “I am happy because…”. It is essential that you, as a sales director, be sincere, natural, and fair, otherwise the approach might seem disproportionate. Ask them to recount and analyze their sales performance and the reasons for their success, in their own words. Finally, focus on capitalizing on this positive experience: how to repeat it, or even multiply it?

• The other method is to praise your salesperson in front of witnesses. This can be during a team meeting, but it doesn’t have to be formalized in a physical space: it can take place on an internal platform, for example. This way, the salesperson can feel the recognition of the entire team for their work. Be careful, however, to distribute praise fairly and without any perceived favoritism. That’s why transparency regarding everyone’s results is preferable. This way, the entire team can see each employee’s successes.

Why not Offer a Reward?

Verbal praise can boost a salesperson’s work. But you can also make this reward tangible: a bonus gift, an exceptional bonus, a gift voucher… The employee will be all the more grateful and motivated, as they can expect to receive this little extra again next time.

Another way to praise an employee is to offer them the opportunity to publish an article highlighting their success in the company’s internal newsletter, CSR report, or exchange platform. Even more effective: a testimonial video from the salesperson of the month. Finally, the results can be presented to the executive committee to the company’s senior management.

This benevolent management approach should be applied particularly to the generation currently entering the workforce: the ‘millennials’ are less and less comfortable with the competitive model but increasingly with collaboration. Indeed, what motivates these new employees and makes them more effective in the workplace is, above all, human connection and recognition. It’s up to you, sales manager, to create a work environment conducive to their professional development.

And you, do you apply benevolent management with your teams?

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