Category: Sales

A solid incentive scheme can be a great way to encourage your team to hit those all-important targets when you work in outbound sales.

Make enough calls and bring in enough business, and you will receive a substantial reward for your efforts.

It sounds simple enough on paper, but the truth is that it can sometimes be hard to get an incentive scheme right.

Make it too hard to achieve target, and you run the risk of frustrating your team. Make it too easy, and you will lose a lot of that hard-earned turnover.

Even if you get your targets right, you need to think long and hard about the incentives you will offer.

We’ve put together this guide to help you work out an ideal incentive programme for your sales development representatives (SDRs) and what you can offer them by means of reward.

What targets and KPIs should I have in place?

Before we move into detail, we should explain the difference between targets and KPIs in relation to incentives. It’s easy to get them mixed up or use them interchangeably.

Targets are your outcomes, and KPIs (key performance indicators) are the activities that lead to an outcome being completed.

As an example, let’s take sales calls. In this case, the sales calls are the KPI, and the target is the number of sales calls you want your SDRs to achieve in a set time frame.

When you consider your targets, it’s essential to think about the following:

• What will your KPIs be? This is dependent on your business model. Examples of KPIs you can use in sales include revenue, sales won and meetings booked
• What will your target be? Your target needs to be attainable, but not so easy that everyone can hit it on the first phone call of the day. Make sure all your targets are:
  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Timely
• Will any other team members be involved in your SDRs hitting their target? For example, say your target is number of sales won, and your SDRs pass their opportunities through to another salesperson to close. Their commission is dependent on the success of other people. This will need to be factored into the final figures

What are SDRs really motivated by?

As we’ve touched on in earlier blogs, members of your sales team are motivated by different things. It can be easy to assume that everyone is motivated by money; after all, we all have bills to pay and mouths to feed. However, this is not necessarily the case.

Only 13% of people looking for a new job say it is because they want more money. This means there have to be other factors in play.

People in a sales environment can be motivated by:

• Making a difference to the world
• Career progression and development
• Being recognised for the work they do
• Freedom to spend time with friends and loved ones

Different motivations can lead to SDRs preferring various incentives for their work. For example, if someone is motivated by freedom, additional days off or shorter working hours can encourage them to hit their targets.

So, should I offer money as an incentive?

It honestly depends on your business and the staff that work for you. For some SDRs  – cash is still king, and they will appreciate a financial bonus for their hard work.

However, this strategy doesn’t work for all staff and can be expensive to maintain in the long term.

In the 1990s, Hewlett Packard launched performance-related pay for staff. The issue was that the targets set were too low, meaning about 90% of staff were eligible for commission. When Hewlett Packard realised its mistake and upped the targets, employees threatened to quit as they thought they were entitled to the extra incentives by default.

One thing to consider if you are offering money-based commission is how much your SDRs will be able to earn and how it compares to their base pay.

High commission and low base may incentivise your team to sell hard, but may lead to frustrated staff and high turnover. Low commission and higher base may deter ambitious salespeople, but lead to happier SDRs and improved job security.

Great sales incentives that will really motivate your SDRs

What type of incentives can you offer your SDRs that will encourage them to pick up the phone and start calling?

Interestingly, 85% of people would opt for a non-cash incentive if it was something they really liked the look of.

Here are a few of our favourites for you to consider.

Workplace incentives

These types of incentives make the working day easier and more fun for your sales team. The advantage of workplace-based benefits is that they are low-cost, making them an excellent option for businesses with a small budget.

For example, you could offer longer lunch breaks, parking spaces nearer the office or extra holidays for those who hit their targets.

You could even let your SDRs take control of the office Spotify playlist as a fun reward!

Experienced-based incentives

Experiences and outings are great incentives for staff, as they are seen as high value and are something tangible for your sales team to try and achieve.

Experienced-based incentives can range from a pair of cinema tickets or a trip to a spa through to a VIP experience at a music concert or sporting event.

The great thing about experienced-based incentives is that you can extend them to the whole team too. Has the entire sales team hit its target for the quarter? Treat everyone to a works night out!

Plus, your SDRs may document their experience on social media and tag you in, leading to extra publicity for your business.

Courses and training incentives

Some of your sales team may be motivated by the promise of personal and professional development and becoming the best version of themselves they can be.

Offering advancement opportunities can be a smart choice if this is the case. Your SDRs gain new skills to help them in their career, and you get to take advantage of what they learn in the workplace. It’s a win-win situation!

You could pay for them to complete an online course, let them have one-on-one time with a professional coach or give them paid time off to attend an upcoming conference.

Physical incentives

One of the best ways to thank someone is with a thoughtful gift, and your sales team is no exception. Providing a tangible prize works well as you can customise it to the specific team member as well as your own budget.

Tech, food, drink and gift cards are all brilliant options. One idea we love is to have lots of prize envelopes on a board in the office. The SDR picks one at random and gets a nice surprise!

In conclusion – how will you manage your in-house incentive scheme?

According to the Incentive Research Foundation, a high-quality incentive programme can increase staff performance by 44%. That’s potentially a lot of new sales leads and opportunities for your business.

Done right, an incentive programme can drive your SDRs performance and lead to positive outcomes. The challenge is working out how to implement it correctly.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to incentive schemes. The one that is right for your business will depend on your industry, your size, the outcomes you want to achieve and most importantly, the motivations of your sales team.

Take the time to choose the perfect incentive scheme, and both you and your SDRs can reap the benefits.

If you’d like further tips on managing your SDRs, our content series will provide you with all the information you need.

Visit our knowledge hub for blogs, webinars, and podcasts to help you create a positive sales team culture that will drive results.

Managing and building a great team culture is essential for all parts of a business, but especially so for outbound sales.

Outbound sales is notorious for hiring quickly and low retention rates, both of which can have a negative impact on how team members work together.

A sales team with a poor team culture can quickly become toxic, resulting in low morale, low motivation and teammates that don’t trust each other.

In this blog, we will look at the top ways you can manage the team culture in your outbound sales department – all tried and tested by Team Air.

Why It’s Important to Get the Balance Right

When it comes to managing team culture, there is a fine line between getting results and looking after your team.

If your team is focused on nothing but getting results and putting sales above everything else, you run the risk of frustrating and alienating staff. Not only this, but if your team members feel they must make sales to keep their jobs, they will end up frustrating and alienating prospective customers too.

While looking after your team is essential, it’s important to ensure things don’t get too comfortable. If your sales staff don’t feel inclined to perform, then you end up not hitting targets. A bit of friendly competition amongst colleagues is perfectly fine.

It’s essential to get the balance right. Think about your team’s current culture and what side of the line you stand on.

Remote Working and the Effect on Team Culture

Managing team culture has faced significant challenges over the past year with the introduction of remote working.

It is easier to talk to other team members in an office, whether it is a quick chat as you walk past their desk or wait to get a coffee. However, when you work apart from one another, engaging with others gets a little more challenging.

The good news is outbound sales teams have adapted to this new way of working and have found new methods of managing team culture. Let’s look at some of them.

Eight Things You Can Do Today to Manage Your Team Culture

At Air Marketing, we have always placed a strong emphasis on creating a positive team culture. It’s not always been easy, especially as our business has grown, but we’re proud of how far our team has come over the years.

We spoke to our team leaders to find out their top eight tips for managing their team’s culture and keeping everyone motivated.

1. Recognise People’s Achievements

By recognising your team’s achievements, you’re not only keeping staff engaged and making them feel valued but encouraging them to go the extra mile. The great thing about this technique is that you can do it in the office as well as remotely.

We like taking ten minutes on a Friday to celebrate the week’s achievements, looking at different campaigns and showing the value that individual team members have brought.

2. Introduce a Little Friendly Competition

As we mentioned earlier on, a little competition, either in teams or between teams, can be a good thing. This motivates the best performers and energises those who may be behind in the rankings.

Our team leaders do this three times a week, sharing their screen and showing their team how they are performing compared to all the other outbound sales teams.

3. Make Your Team Feel Like Part of The Business

When team members don’t know the role they play in your organisation, they can quickly become uninterested in what they do. By making your team commercially aware, they can feel like a part of something bigger.

Take the time to talk about what is happening in the wider business, both positive and negative.

4. Treat Your Team as Individuals

As an outbound sales team, your team members all share the same goal – winning as much new business as possible. However, individuals in your sales team will be motivated in vastly different ways.

For example, while some team members might be motivated by career advancement, some are motivated by providing for their loved ones.

When you manage a team, manage each person in a way that brings out the best in them. Speak to all the members of your sales team and see what gets them out of bed every morning.

That way when you provide feedback, you can be sure the message sinks in.

5. Be Approachable

Being a manager or team leader is hard. You’re not only responsible for your team’s well-being, but if targets aren’t met, you’re the one that’s ultimately responsible. One thing you can do to make things better for both you and your team is to be as helpful as possible.

Being approachable in your management style can help foster a strong team culture. Encourage staff to come to you with their concerns and questions, as well as any training needs they have.

6. Check in Regularly

Providing regular feedback and letting your team have their say can help you be proactive and resolve minor issues before they become major problems.

A short daily meeting is often the best way to do this. Go around your team and see what their plans are for the day ahead. That way, if anyone needs a little extra help or isn’t sure of something, the whole team can offer their support.

You can also talk through the targets and leads, letting the team collectively know if they are on track for the week or month.

7. Have a Positive Attitude and Drive Performance

It can be hard to be confident when staff are off ill, prospects aren’t picking up the phone, and you’re not going to hit your weekly KPIs.

However, did you know positivity is catching? There is a phenomenon called ’emotional contagion’ where people close to you subconsciously mimic your emotions.

This means by staying positive; your team are more likely to think positively too.

8. Have Fun!

Finally, it’s essential to unwind and bond with the rest of your team. This helps improve communication and collaboration and can be a fantastic way to destress at the end of the working day.

The other advantage is that friendly colleagues are more likely to spur each other on to hit their targets.

Whether you go out for a meal after work or take part in a Zoom pub quiz, take some time to get to know each other.

Want to Find Out More About Setting up an Outbound Sales Team?

If you need help with building an outbound sales team, read more about our service here or call our Sales Director, Marco Alfano-Rogers, on 0808 599 0354 to discuss your requirements.

If you’d like some further tips on how to manage your outbound sales team, our content series will provide you with all the information you need.

Visit our knowledge hub for blogs, webinars and podcasts that will help you create a positive  outbound sales team culture that will drive results.