Motivate your sales reps: 8 managerial techniques that work

Managing sales forces is a challenge for most companies, and brands operating in large-scale retail are no exception. And for good reason: area managers are often promoted to sales directors or regional directors based on their results, without being supported on the management side. Yet there is a huge difference between selling and getting others to sell!

Irony at its finest, because as a Sales Director or Regional Sales Director, you are indeed the one responsible for the motivation of area managers! As a result, you sometimes find yourself helpless when faced with sales reps who are running on empty.

That is why Sidely offers you a summary of the best practices that will turn your area managers into selling machines!

Spoiler alert: you must embody motivation 🥇

1) Leading by example as a manager

It is a golden rule: a manager who scrupulously follows the rules will be more easily respected and naturally followed. Conversely, ban "do as I say, not as I do" style management. No one is above the law, and leaders must embody the rules that form the foundation of working together in the company.

But leading by example is also about the energy you instill in your sales reps. By instilling your values of positivity, integrity, respect, and collaboration in your sales reps, you foster a climate of trust and commitment. This energy is more than important when you consider the pressure levels that field sales reps can face during promotional campaign periods!

2) Compensation: fairly rewarding performance

Compensation is the primary motivating factor for employees. For mobile sales reps, a well-thought-out variable commission system allows you to go after optimal performance while fairly rewarding the efforts of the most deserving.

And if your company's financial resources are limited, variable pay is also a good financial strategy that allows you to pay based on results. It is also common to establish tiers to encourage overperformance from area managers.

Special rewards can also accompany challenges decided during the year, for example when it comes to selling tactical operations to as many stores as possible.

To find out if your salary policy is within market standards, we summarize in an article the salary brackets for area managers based on their region and experience. On average, an area manager's salary, across all years of experience, sectors, and regions, is around €34,172 per year.

3) Supporting area managers in developing their skills

Support is another strong motivational lever for field sales reps: 67.7% of area managers expect more training from their manager. 50.7% expect more support from their sales management. Even though many managers are aware of the importance of going to meetings with juniors to teach them how to sell, many do not think to do so when their area managers are struggling or are more senior! And yet: among area managers wanting more support from their sales management, 32% have more than 6 years of experience.

Let's be honest: intentionally putting your sales team in difficulty in the field is not an effective management strategy. Worse, it can quickly crush your employees' motivation. Conversely, your role is to be present when needed, and above all to be proactive. Your sales reps sometimes need support but do not always dare to ask for it, for fear that it will be perceived as an admission of weakness. Learn to spot weak signals, and activate the right levers to support them — one of the most powerful remains going back out into the field, to client meetings or store visits, right by their side.

It is also a way for you to reconnect with the field, to evaluate the evolution of retail and store distribution policies, and to understand the daily lives of your mobile sales reps.

Finally, your experience can lead you to different analyses regarding the implementation of action plans, merchandising, or product placement on shelves. Department managers might have a slightly different attitude toward a seasoned salesperson like you. In short, these are all opportunities to inspire your sales reps and show them your commitment to helping them perform.

Moreover, you know from experience: sales reps do not become senior overnight. For a stable and successful skills development, proceed in gradual and controlled steps:

1. Sales training;

2. Delegation;

3. Control.

This makes sales reps feel supported and monitored by their hierarchy. This support allows them to see that they can count on you to progress. This will allow them not only to grow but also to gain sales motivation in the field, because they will know that you support them and that their work is valued.

Once the senior level is reached, learn to let go and grant healthy autonomy to area managers so they feel responsible for their territories. Involve them in decision-making related to their sector to strengthen their sense of belonging and utility. This is actually a highly appreciated point: 86% of area managers consider autonomy as one of the greatest benefits of their job. Also, 94% of area managers say they expect more responsibility from their sales director, and 43% want more autonomy.

And for everything you don't know how to pass on to them, invest in external training to allow area managers to develop the skills they need to sell.

4) Active listening and recognition of your sales teams

To identify everyone's sources of motivation or demotivation, it is essential to know your employees well. Indeed, not everyone is sensitive to the same rewards, which go far beyond simple compensation.

Implementing close coaching allows you to communicate with each team member to boost them as soon as they experience a drop in energy, and never let demotivation set in. Your sales reps will thus feel valued and supported by their hierarchy.

Yes, lack of recognition is a real plague for your sales reps' motivation! It's up to you to realize that actions which may seem trivial to you actually make a big difference: greeting each of your employees when you arrive at the office, checking in on them, and above all, noticing when something is wrong.

This is actually a very frequent request from sales teams in the field: many area managers express a desire to be listened to more, especially senior area managers, among whom 62.5% of those who feel this need have more than 6 years of experience. Furthermore, 10.7% want more kindness and empathy from their hierarchy.

You must therefore address the feeling of non-recognition. Sending encouraging emails or congratulating your employees for their successes are significant gestures. You can also set up a monthly or quarterly ritual to celebrate individual or collective successes.

Finally, stay accessible to facilitate communication and let energy and good ideas flow. Accept constructive feedback and encourage innovative ideas from area managers.

5) Determining the right sales targets

A poorly defined, unattainable, or too distant objective can work against sales reps' motivation. To avoid this painful trap, work on your objectives using the SMART method (Specific / Measurable / Achievable / Realistic / Time-bound).

Furthermore - few managers are aware of this - it is entirely possible to include your sales reps in setting objectives; this is actually a proven technique in a performance recovery plan, which consists of asking the salesperson to define their own objectives for the next three months, in a gradual manner. Although counterintuitive, this method has the immense advantage of getting the sales rep to take ownership of the objectives they set themselves and fight to achieve them. When they fail, they will usually know how to draw the necessary conclusions on their own.

6) Sales territory design and selling in retail

Another essential topic in sales network distribution: sales territory design. Each area manager inherits a portfolio, which can be defined by a geographical area, a list of accounts, or a retail chain, etc. However, this distribution can seem random or unfair to sales reps who do not have all the data justifying your assignment decisions.

To understand the impact of these distribution decisions, keep in mind that assigning a territory reflects back to the sales rep the level of skill, trust, or merit you place in them. That's why finding the right distribution of prospect and client accounts is not enough; you also need to convince your area managers of the relevance of the choices you've made.

Never forget: the most important principle of management is fairness!

7) Teambuilding: bringing your area managers together

For many brands present in large-scale retail, sales reps spend most of their time on sales tours. Inevitable in this sector, this practice limits social interactions between colleagues and makes it difficult to mobilize individuals around common goals. Loneliness and time spent on the road are also cited as one of the biggest difficulties of the mobile sales job. That is why it is important to organize team events, motivational seminars, and team-building activities.

Give your area managers one day a month or a quarter out of the field to participate in training, workshops, or sales events. These moments of exchange not only allow them to improve their skills but also to break the daily loneliness. They create a dynamic of support, sharing advice, and can therefore regain sales motivation afterwards.

Do not fall into the trap of systematically making these rewards following collective sales performance. Think about the opposite mechanism: it is by creating moments of exchange that you can boost the desire to succeed collectively and pursue the objectives set by sales management.

8) Equip your area managers with a CRM designed for retail

The goal is not simply to "check the box" by providing a tool to your sales team. What you owe them is a truly useful technological solution that allows them to work more efficiently, faster, and with less friction. A tool that does not slow them down but helps them progress. By equipping them correctly, you offer them a real advantage in the field, and a differentiating factor that strengthens their commitment to your brand.

Because the accumulation of tedious and time-consuming tasks can undermine team motivation. Most area managers state they feel they spend too much time on non-selling tasks: too much time in the car, on their planning, in store aisles doing shelf audits (often on loose sheets of paper or unsuitable mobile apps). Not to mention CRMs that still require synchronization or a connection, which prevents them from writing their report during the meeting. Which sales rep wants to pull over at a highway rest area to log their meeting report?

If you don't do it, no one will do it for you. And if you still doubt the impact of a good field tool, listen to those who have been there.

“The [Sidely] app is lighter to use for all my teams, who don't need an internet connection to work on it. This finishes convincing the new generation to join us, which is an advantage for recruitment.” explains Garry Barret, National Sales Director at Chantovent.

To give fresh momentum to your teams and strengthen their loyalty, there is only one watchword: a CRM thought out for their daily constraints. Accessible, mobile, simple to use, and above all, truly useful in the field. We have created a benchmark of the best SFA CRMs for area managers.

In short, do you ask for the best from your area managers? Start by rising to the occasion, and equip them with a CRM designed for retail sales.

And finally, keep this in mind: employees stay for managers, not for companies!