Finding Motivation

By Dan Fantasia, Sales Recruiting Thought Leader – Treeline Inc.

Tips to becoming a highly motivated sales professional.

I’m hopeful these tips to stay motivated are helpful and relevant whether you’re building a sales organization, trying to become the top sales representative or just trying to enjoy a healthier, better life.

If you are in sales, even if you’ve been a motivated individual throughout your life, you have surely explored motivational books, quotes and similar ways to boost your motivation and stay on track. After all, motivation can dip for anyone at any time. So, while many sales professionals are highly motivated individuals, you may currently lack optimal motivation. This blog can help you find your motivation once again. 

To reignite your motivation, you need to first define your purpose. Ask yourself, “Who do I want to be?” An appreciation of your long-term purpose will help you obtain motivation more easily. It seems a little corny, but realizing, for example, that you want to be a positively charged, happy person throughout your life is an important purpose to identify. With that purpose defined, you can properly reinforce your behaviors. More importantly, you can satisfy your self-esteem through a sustained strategy that will help you perpetuate your motivation.

Here are some suggestions for staying motivated throughout all aspects of your life.

1. Build a Routine Upon a Foundation of Small Actions

Though motivation seems to come naturally to some people, everyone actually has to work hard to stay motivated. There’s no motivation gene that I am aware of. When you’re trying to build the habit of motivation, it’s wise to start small. 

Consider a person trying to get into shape. People often lose motivation very quickly with new exercise regimens because they go too hard and too fast on the first day. By the fifth day, they are exhausted and hurting. They want to quit, and many usually do! 

Instead of punishing themselves, people who want to get into shape should begin slowly. They shouldn’t think about losing weight or changing the way their body looks. Success will come via baby steps. For the first week, the focus should simply be on waking up and going to the gym. The actual exercise and time at the gym is not important during this week.  The first week is all about forming a foundational habit that is sustainable. 

If you apply a similar approach to your work, you will notice motivation becoming gradually easier. Focus on building a routine that is sustainable for a long period of time. Soon enough, you will see change and become more motivated by taking additional actions to support your habit and goals. 

2. Reward Small Wins and Positive Actions

Life has many obstacles, and your ability to navigate through adversity is an important skill to master. In sales, we are faced with daily challenges and rejection. You must push beyond that rejection if you want to succeed, so you need to develop a reward system for when you achieve small wins.

For example, figure out how many rejections you have to work through to attain a positive outcome from a lead or prospect. Once you know that, you can set goals and give yourself a roadmap for success in your unique sales environment.

When you meet your goals, celebrate the small wins. This is important! Celebrating small wins supports positive behavior and gives you a positive perspective on your career. As a result, you’ll gain motivation to continue forward!

Celebrate action-oriented goals, too! When you hit your day’s email target, celebrate! When you talk to your target number of prospects for a day, shout, “Done!” 

When you hit goals, give yourself rewards. This will further motivate you. Rewards come in all shapes and sizes and do not need to be materialistic. A reward could be as simple as a checkbox on a calendar and knowing that you’ve accomplished that specific goal or a moment to acknowledge your success and appreciate the result. 

Even if a prospect says, “I’m not interested,” you’re getting a response! This is a small win. A reward can be as simple as a small basic reaction to success like saying “Boom!”

This reward system builds long-term stability for you to be a highly motivated individual for your entire life.

3. Don’t Reward Bad Actions

Action precedes motivation. By building a routine, you are taking action and increasing your motivation. To continue building momentum, you must be conscious not to disrupt your success. This is very easy to do because you unconsciously risk rewarding yourself for bad actions.

For example, if you feel lazy for a bit and decide to break your routine and sit on the couch, make sure you do not reward this behavior. In other words, don’t blow off exercise and reward yourself by eating a gallon of ice cream.

After all, it is easier to reward yourself for bad actions than good ones. This means you have to be conscious of these comfort-oriented actions. Actions that detract from your goals cannot be rewarded. Otherwise, you will always struggle to build a routine to help you achieve your goals. Once that happens, you will continue to lose motivation and forget your purpose.

4. Arouse Creative Thinking in Yourself and Others

Without creativity, there is no freethinking. That leads to monotonous and boring jobs where people burn out. In today’s fast-paced business world, maintaining motivation and avoiding burnout is crucial, especially for sales professionals who face daily challenges, stress and hardship. The repetitive nature of the job can quickly drain enthusiasm and lead to monotony.

To break free from this cycle and foster a thriving and motivated career, it’s essential to prioritize creativity, freethought and a fun, competitive company culture. Infuse excitement into your work, and this will keep your battery charged for success. You will promote a positively charged contagious environment for your coworkers to emulate.

One of the keys to staying motivated is to break away from the mundane wash-rinse-repeat methodology. Embrace change by challenging yourself to think differently and approach tasks from new perspectives. Seek innovative ways to

• Set ambitious goals
• Solve problems
• Continuously learn
• Routinely improve

By pushing your boundaries, you’ll keep your mind engaged and stay motivated to achieve new heights.

Salespeople thrive when they have the freedom to think creatively and explore innovative approaches. Encourage idea-sharing, brainstorming sessions with colleagues and open discussions where team members can contribute their unique perspectives. Emphasize the importance of experimentation and reward yourself for creative thinking. An environment that values and encourages freethinking is an environment that finds new solutions and creates excitement and energy. This can be accomplished by managers or individual contributors.

5. Work to Create a Fun, Encouraging Environment

There is a comfort crisis in the modern workforce that encourages mediocrity, so surround yourself with positive people. Make work fun. Do things differently.

Challenge yourself to change! 

One person can change an environment and influence others to create a fun and competitive atmosphere.  By injecting energy and enthusiasm into the workplace you encourage friendly competition among your team members. Set up challenges and contests and don’t wait for management to create a positively charged, fun environment. A little healthy competition can ignite the drive to excel and keep everyone motivated, especially you!

6. Maintain the Right Perspective

To keep up your motivation, live your life for you. Stop worrying about what others are doing. It is not uncommon for a top producer to lose perspective. They may get burnt out or frustrated that a big deal didn’t close or that the month or quarter is not going in the desired direction.

Losing perspective due to such an event could cause a loss of motivation.

Take a step back. Assess where you are. Gain perspective. If you are still the top producer, be proud!

If you are the lowest producer on your team, take stock and never be a victim. What are you doing well? What small wins have you achieved? What is the bright side of the coin? Then think to yourself of others that are not as fortunate as you. Be thankful for what you have accomplished. Gaining this perspective fuels motivation and belief.

To find additional perspective and motivation, think of others’ stories of success and how these individuals have overcome life’s challenges. Focus on your successes and not on your failures. Find the fuel you need to succeed!

7. Be Happy

We all appreciate the importance of taking care of ourselves. Motivation will come more easily to you if you understand what makes you happy and what recharges your personal battery.

When you’re feeling good physically and mentally, you’re more likely to be motivated. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. 

Selfcare is crucial for maintaining motivation and preventing burnout. Prioritize your physical and mental wellbeing by incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine. Practicing mindfulness can help you recharge and maintain a positive mindset.

In my unique experience, the best way to feel happy is to simply smile. Learn how to smile at people. Getting a person to smile is easy. All you have to do is smile at them first. By smiling at everyone you pass, you project happiness. In turn, you find happiness in your soul. 

Lastly, to be happy, maintain a healthy work-life balance through quality time alone or with loved ones.

In the ever-evolving world of sales, finding ways to stay motivated and inspired is paramount. By defining your purpose, building a routine to support this purpose, rewarding small wins and not rewarding negative actions, encouraging creativity and freethinking, fostering a fun and competitive environment, having perspective and being happy, you can recharge your battery and stay motivated each day into the distant future.

Remember, it’s not only about achieving targets. It’s also about finding your purpose and fulfillment in your work. So, dare to think differently. Challenge yourself. And create a work environment that nurtures motivation, creativity and happiness.

If you or your sales team is struggling with motivation, contact our team of expert sales recruiters. At Treeline, we have been superior executive recruiters since the start of this millennium. For sales people, we’ll help you find your next great new career opportunity and for managers, we’ll help you hire your next elite sales athlete to keep your company happy and motivated.