Effective motivation of employees in the SME sector

Here, we look at one way to approach the motivation of employees.

Today, modern technologies and internet access provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with huge possibilities for development. Taking advantage of the many available tools that used to be reserved for large companies, an entrepreneur can automate certain processes in his company without substantial expenses.

The objective of each enterprise is to develop, strengthen its position, and generate profits. Companies can achieve this objective through large marketing budgets spent on producing demand for their products (pull) or simply by supporting sales activities (push). The latter is usually cheaper and, especially in a B2B relation, gives immediate effects.

Motivation programmes are often the way to achieve these objectives. They support the efficiency of sales specialists and boost their involvement. Today, many of the companies in the SME sector face the challenge of preparing and implementing such a programme, at the same time claiming that only large enterprises can afford to do so. How, then, could SMEs deal with the issue of motivating employees?

The new media and the new technologies are the answer to this problem. They help small and medium enterprises in preparing proper sales systems for their sales specialists. One such solution is the Motiveo.co.uk platform for creating motivation programmes. The system has been designed in such a way as to bring notable benefits both to the entrepreneur (bigger sales) and the sales specialists (bonuses for effects).

Why is this necessary?

The decision to implement a sales programme intended to motivate sales specialists needs to be thought through. Achieving business objectives is a priority for every company, big or small. Boosting sales, getting more clients, or increasing company value are the challenges faced not only by owners, but also by employees. This is why success requires taking care of the process of setting targets for employees and then accounting them for achieving them. Creating such a motivation system will ensure that the sales specialists work in accordance with the company’s strategy and are better motivated for efficient work. Thanks to that, cash and non-cash resources put into training and development of the employees will not turn out to be unjustified business expenses.

Business needs to sell

The Motiveo.co.uk tool mentioned above will help in creating and implementing a proper programme in every enterprise. The system is based on the SaaS technology, which means that all data is computed in a cloud and getting access to the system requires only a web browser or a mobile application.

Motiveo.co.uk is a comprehensive tool that allows for configuring a motivation programme and controlling the activities of sales specialists by means of the reports available in the entrepreneur’s panel. For each of the motivation programmes, entrepreneurs provide a lot of information on the products, sales plans, and the rules the sales specialists should follow when making sales. There are three motivation models available: sales=reward, a points-based system, and a mixed system. Depending on the mark-up specified for the product, the system will recommend one of them to the entrepreneur.

Motiveo.co.uk also allows for on-going tracking of the progress of the sales thanks to verifying sales by means of invoices, bills, generated codes, or serial numbers. Many entrepreneurs will appreciate the fact that the system offers templates of legal documents necessary to formalise the motivation programme or the possibility of using additional motivation mechanisms that will boost the sales of particular products (the Push Effect).

In addition to an innovative system of hints that will make configuring a motivation programme easier for every entrepreneur, Motiveo offers the assistance of a virtual advisor that is available 24/7. The advisor will help clear all doubt that could arise during the process of creating a programme.

Creating and implementing an efficient sales programme in an enterprise is no easy task. Still, it is crucial for the company in achieving success. The fact whether the employees work efficiently or not is strongly related to the benefits resulting from completing the task. In order to motivate sales specialists well, you need to offer them something more than the basic salary: you need to create a motivation programme that matches their needs. Every enterprise owner, regardless of how big or small his company is, should remember that such programmes mean benefits both for him and his employees.

Setting targets for sales specialists and then evaluating their achievement allows not only for being sure that the actions of the employees are in line with the company’s strategy, but also for motivating employees and making the most valuable of them stay in the organisation. A sales specialist that knows the expectations of his superiors knows that his work affects the way the company operates. Such an employee also knows that his work will be properly evaluated and recognised, which makes him more motivated, which in turn results in him identifying himself with the company’s objectives. This translates not only to efficient work by the sales specialists, but also to the implementation of the business objectives of the entire enterprise.

See also: Six ways to keep staff motivation and morale high in your small business

Ben Lobel

Ben Lobel

Ben Lobel was the editor of SmallBusiness.co.uk from 2010 to 2018. He specialises in writing for start-up and scale-up companies in the areas of finance, marketing and HR.

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