Sales Managers: Here’s the Conversation You should Have with your Team

A company’s values and commitments are foundational elements for any organization. But are you sure they are still relevant for your sales force? Do your company’s values truly contribute to the engagement and motivation of your sales team, by inspiring them and giving meaning to their professional missions?

In 2016, Deloitte published a global report on “millennials”, in which the institute observed a real challenge to loyalty. Employees, starting with Generations X and Y, often consider themselves underemployed, too little recognized in their professional activity and are convinced that the majority of companies make financial profits their sole priority. And the results obtained by Deloitte are not limited to these young generations of employees.

Generally speaking, employees show loyalty to organizations that take into account their opinions, suggestions, and professional aspirations. Companies that strive to understand what interests, motivates, and engages their employees thus increase their chances of ensuring their loyalty.

As a sales manager, it’s up to you to give meaning to your colleagues’ tasks. A simple conversation can be enough; the Action Identification theory (R. R. Vallache and D. M. Wegner) can help you with this.

Discover 5 essential questions to stimulate your thinking and adopt a new employee-oriented management approach.

1. What are your Preferred Areas and/or Areas of Excellence?

• What professional activities require the least effort from you?
• For what types of problems do your colleagues come to you, because you are the go-to person?
• Throughout your career, what know-how or soft skills have allowed you to stand out?

By asking them these questions, you will help your team members to identify their professional strengths and talents.

2. What Do You Truly Enjoy Doing?

• What motivates you in your workplace?
• Can you describe an ideal day within your organization?
• Is there a task you particularly enjoy performing?

The answers to these questions will help your employees remember what they love about their job, but also about the organization where they perform it.

3. What Makes You Proud?

• What results or accomplishments have made you feel most valued throughout your career?
• In your opinion, which of your tasks and responsibilities are most important to your organization?

These questions will allow you to highlight the value of the assignments you entrust to your sales team at the company level.

4. Do You Feel like You are Growing?

• What will be the next step in your career?
• Do you think your work helps you move in the direction you want your life to go?

These lines of thought will lead your employees to reflect on their long-term professional goals while valuing their current roles.

5. How are your Interactions with your Teammates?

• Do you know which colleagues or teams help you be more effective?
• What types of professional collaborations do you prefer?
• In what way(s) does your work influence your private and professional relationships?

These last points will lead your employees to reflect on the nature and quality of their professional relationships, as well as what they can bring them.

Giving meaning to your employees’ actions and work is no small feat. But don’t be discouraged: it all starts with a conversation and a few questions.

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• Workplace Dissatisfaction: the Crucial Role of the Manager
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