Drive Motivation & Minimise Stress on your Team. Five Tips for Sales Leaders

Spot the difference.

Sales Leader Scenario:

It’s three months out from year’s end & you are a nervous sales leader.  While you are close to hitting your number, it’s no lay-down misère. 

You’ve been leading your team for three years now & inevitably, each November you receive a call from The Director wanting a snapshot of where you think the team will land at the annual selling finish line. 

You pick up the phone to start your round of team calls.

First Leadership Approach:

How far off are you from your target?  Do you think you can smash a few more big transactions through? Which customer can you chase? Consider it one for the team. You don’t want to miss that bonus of yours.

Second Leadership Approach:

I can see you are really close to your end of year milestone.  Have you thought how you are setting up your top three partnerships for next year?  Might be worth a check in before year’s end to; reflect on the learnings, reconcile the year & firm up next year’s preferences & priorities.  Let me know how I can support your preparation for these conversations.

While both approaches share the same intent - to prompt selling action - the perception by the team & impact on mindset will likely be different. Particularly towards the end of year when energy levels are low & emotions frayed (both your team’s & their customers).

The first reactionary approach represents a narrow, shorter term focus. A rev-up hoping to plug the numerical gap, placing the leader’s pressure on the shoulders of the sales team.

What are the potential implications on team mindset with approach one?

• Draws focus towards what the team member can’t control (their target) with disempowering effect

• Instils fear by reinforcing what’s personally at stake

• Provokes “achieve-at-all-costs” behaviour

• Potentially erodes customer trust through perceived desperation & increased self orientation

• Discourages self-motivation, a proven factor for sustained high performance

• Fosters a fixed mindset potentially increasing mental health risk

• Negatively impacts well-being, particularly if the target is not achieved

• Misses opportunity to prepare & set up the following year’s success

• “My leader only cares about the numbers” perception

The second approach, is illustrative of a growth minded leader who holds their nerve. They understand while short term delivery is important, it represents only a few months of a much bigger picture. They are playing the long game & refrain from passing organisational performance pressure onto their team, minimising unnecessary stress & distraction.

What are the potential implications on team mindset with approach two?

• Focus is drawn towards what’s in the team members control, effort required to strengthen customer relationships

• Encourages reflection, learning & connection.  Each an investment in personal well-being (customer & team member) & partnership health

• Instils progressive motivation akin to longer term sustained performance

• Fosters customer trust by increased empathy & decreased self-orientation

• Positively impacts well-being by encouraging a growth mindset, shielding against stress & depression

• Invests in planning for the subsequent year’s success

• Offers continuous skills development

• “My leader cares about me as a person” perception

In reality, most sales leaders are well intended & lie somewhere between these two approaches. Reactional tendencies rearing their heads towards the end of the selling year when C-suite pressure intensifies.

How can sales leaders minimise unnecessary stress for their teams, create a more supportive environment & drive performance?

Here are three tips to consider:

1. Know your team’s individual drivers

Whilst sales targets might motivate you, they don’t drive everyone. This doesn’t mean those individuals aren’t cut out for sales. You might find they end up being some of your most consistent performers. Take the time to understand the individual behind the number, particularly their personal drivers. It’s an effective way of developing their self-motivation capability via practical actions such as learning, giving & connecting.

Momentum Mindset tools: Personal values & Personal Impact

2. Prioritise connection

The Momentum Mindset selling philosophy of we grow business & sustain performance when we focus on growing human connection, with ourselves & our customer, is equally relevant for leaders. The strength of your trusted connection with each team member offering the same benefits as a trusted connection with a customer - transparency, cooperation, loyalty & forgiveness. While developing trust takes time & can be frustrating, it makes life easier in the long run.

Momentum Mindset tools: Trust accelerator

2. Embed a long game approach

Acknowledging the time it takes to recognise return from relationship based selling manages expectations, & demonstrates understanding. To support your team in developing their weekly structure, consider differentiating between customer service & engagement. Customer service provides the quick wins - setting standards, building confidence & knowledge. Customer engagement on the other hand, takes time, strategic thought & patience. An engagement diagnostic tool can help to identify the buying mindset & provide guidance for the sales professional on what to do next.

Momentum Mindset tools: Engagement diagnostic tool, Engagement journey framework

4. Refrain from overdoing “number talk”

While a sales team needs to understand the commercial reality of their role, keeping them focused on the “how” maintains empowerment & fosters motivation. They are in control of their actions & effort, not the numbers they have been allocated. As a leader, take the responsibility off their plate. Be the one to discretely have your finger on the pulse, while at the same time refraining from allowing “number talk” to dominate every conversation.

Momentum Mindset tool: Locus of control

5. Manage up

Be prepared for the C-suite call. You know it’s coming. Know your numbers, be across individual team members priorities, & have a recent team “win” ready to share. Executive frustration often stems from them feeling powerless, given they aren’t at the cold front. Always have one suggestion up your sleeve on how they can support you &/ or your team.

End of year fatigue amongst sales professionals is rife. As sales leaders, let’s commit to being consistently understanding & supportive of our teams, & not derail their efforts through reactionary approaches.

They will thank you by delivering their number.

Peta

Sales Coach | Consultant

Founder of Momentum Mindset - Sales team training solutions

Author of My Beautiful Mess - Living through burnout & rediscovering me

Mental Health Speaker for Beyond Blue

Did you know - we have four new Momentum Mindset Team Masterclass Topics for 2025!