It’s that time of the year again, where we reevaluate our last year’s progress and set new goals for the upcoming one. Whether it’s healthier eating, reading more books, or starting a new hobby, you’ve probably begun to think about what personal goals you want to achieve in 2022. These resolutions set the tone for the next 365 days and give us tangible targets that motivate us. If we spend this much effort setting personal resolutions, why not do the same for our professional life? Sales managers have the unique position to promote and help their team achieve professional goals. Every salesperson has a set of targets each quarter, but what are the most important New Year’s resolutions that your sales team can set for 2022?
As a sales manager, it is important to motivate your team with attainable goals, and there is no better time than New Year’s to do this. Your team looks to you not only as their sales manager, but as their leader and vision caster. Therefore, it is important to promote the habit of continuous improvement by starting the year with clear resolutions. Through encouragement and vision casting, you can promote the following five New Year’s resolutions for your sales team to elevate to the next level for 2022.
1. Promote Healthy Communication
Although creating an environment of healthy communication may seem like an elementary goal for a manager, this resolution should be revisited each year. In essence, managers should continually ask, “What is lacking in our team dynamics in order for us to elevate and succeed?” The basic element of a healthy working team is undoubtedly communication. It is easy for salespeople to get caught up in their own individual work and lose sight of the team’s vision. This happens when team members stop communication, or stop listening to each other. The New Year is an ideal time to revisit what makes your team thrive and what can be added to create healthier communication. A large part of healthy communication is tied to understanding each other’s personalities, and therefore communication styles. With any size team, you are bound to have varying personality types whose communication styles differ. Use this time of setting resolutions to encourage your salespeople to learn more about each other and how they can communicate in healthier ways. Remember that as a team, each individual brings their own value that contributes to your team’s overall success. Each salesperson on your team makes up a whole team who is running towards the same goal together. With better communication, your team will be able to progress forward more efficiently.2. Encourage Self Care
By the end of the year, team members have worked their fingers to the bone trying to meet deadlines and close out the year with impressive numbers. It’s easy to get caught up in results and numbers, meanwhile neglecting your individual team members’ health. Unhealthy team members do not make productive salespeople. What better time than New Year’s to refresh and remind your team how important mental health is? Encouraging self care can look like many things. You can grant your team members each a “self care day,” in which they can use however they need to reset and rest. This could also look like encouraging your salespeople to create a healthy work-life balance. As a leader, team members will look to you, so it’s crucial to first set this precedent of prioritising self care. For example, you may encourage team members to participate in morning meditation before team meetings, or organise a team outing to a walk in nature or an hour at the spa. These simple acts will boost team morale and remind everyone that their whole selves are important to the team.3. Network, Network, Network
May this year be the year of strengthening existing connections and making new contacts for your team! Emphasising strong relationships through networking can take your sales team to the next level. After nearly two years of social distancing and quarantining, forming relationships is even more valued now than ever before. Setting a precedent of valuing relationships with customers and colleagues will encourage your team to continue this habit throughout the year. Encourage team members to attend networking events and join professional groups in which they can actively make connections. LinkedIn is filled with professional groups that are goldmines for sales industry networking. Additionally, search for new channels of networking such as giving free training to startups and creating webinars with other stakeholders in your industry. Starting this practice early as a team will help form a habit of networking for your individual salespeople throughout the year.
4. Celebrate Achievements
It may have been a long time since your sales team members felt celebrated, and this can be exactly what they need to reinvigorate for this year. Even the smallest of achievements are worthy of recognition. Set attainable goals and show your team they are appreciated when they reach those goals, no matter how small. This could be anything from sending an email recognising a salesperson’s hard work to rewarding high achieving team members with pay raises or extra benefits. Setting up an environment of positive reinforcement will motivate your team to boost their performance. Form this crucial habit of being a team who supports and celebrates each other’s successes.