| Ever had one of your top sales people stop | | | | Here's what my personal coach and I came up with |
| performing seemingly out of nowhere? | | | | one morning: |
| For a period of 7 months, I faced a very tough | | | | Affiliation - I asked Ted to help me create a more |
| challenge. My number 1 producer, who I will call Ted, | | | | cohesive team within my company by bringing |
| was at 50% of the objective he had set for himself. | | | | together our Sales, Service and Support teams in |
| Even at 50%, because his objective was so high, | | | | both a business and non-business setting. He gladly |
| Ted remained my number 1 contributor. | | | | accepted the opportunity and came up with several |
| My problem was twofold; | | | | great initiatives. |
| 1. How do I cut through many of the performance | | | | Service - as Ted believes in delivering the best |
| excuses (financial, relationships in and out of work, | | | | service to our clients, I put him in charge of "service" |
| lack of resources etc) and build commitment to the | | | | standards as they apply to our sales trainers and |
| job and the company? | | | | coaches. Again he was happy to take on the |
| 2. How do you motivate someone who is doing | | | | assignment of ensuring high service standards. |
| better than others but not reaching his own | | | | Autonomy - I allowed him to make decisions |
| potential? | | | | regarding the above with little supervision. |
| What happened to him? Where did his motivation | | | | No external motivators (spiffs) were applied, other |
| really go? | | | | than public Thank You's. |
| Desperate for a solution I reviewed his personnel files | | | | So what happened? |
| looking for an answer. I came across a | | | | Although Ted didn't hit 100% of his target, he's |
| Developmental Plan that we did about three years | | | | growing again - 50% more productivity - what did it |
| earlier using an outside assessment firm. It indicated | | | | cost me? Nothing - other than the time it takes to |
| that Ted's top 3 internal motivators were: Affiliation, | | | | really understand what motivates Ted. |
| Service and Autonomy. I asked myself, "Is Ted's job | | | | We've continued this process with other team |
| fulfilling him or has Ted been fulfilling his job?" The | | | | members to similar degrees of success and have |
| first few years probably proved to be successful for | | | | teamed up with an assessment company to help |
| Ted because he was new to the position and had to | | | | other executives and managers find ways of |
| prove himself, but now several years later he was | | | | motivating their staff. |
| running on an empty motivational tank. I needed to | | | | Should you want to learn more, please contact me |
| develop strategies to work on his three motivators. | | | | anytime. |