It's easy to understand why salespeople have become discouraged in this down economy. Sales managers and small business owners tell us that sales to current customers have declined by 25% or more in 2009. New and current customers want special deals and concessions, or else the customer will go somewhere else.

Overcoming Negativity
To overcome a lot of this negativity, sales managers must spend more time on motivating their sales force. What can you do to motivate your sales force today?  In this down economy, two motivators from managers are especially valuable. First, since salespeople are results-oriented, anything that a manager can do to help his or her salesperson to win a sale, will be a motivator.  Second, job security and reassurance that the seller's job is safe, is a big motivator during rising unemployment.

STAR was recently interviewed by Newsday (Aug. 24, 2009) for a feature business article that claims that "...keeping a sales team motivated these days can be a full-time job".  Click on Keeping a Sales Team, well, Sailing to read comments from Bill McCormick, as well as additional tips from other experts in the field.

What Do You Think
We'd like to hear your thoughts and ideas on keeping a sales team motivated.