One of the great misconceptions is that you can motivate people. You cannot. Think about motivational speakers. Is the company really any different after they speak than it was before? Probably not. The enthusiasm was based on pure emotional energy, not on a change of mindset.

It is not playing with words, though, when you say you can create a motivational environment. To do this, you will need to understand the members of your sales team as individuals. Find out what their values and belief systems are, what their personal and professional goals are in life. Get to know them as people.

When you do, you will find out how rich and interesting they are. They each have uniquely different experiences, different perceptions, and different objectives about what they want out of life.

Once you do this, you will have tools that will help you accelerate the advancement of individuals to higher performance. Develop a reward system that ties directly into their value system and show them how a particular behavior will allow them to achieve the things in life that they feel are of greatest value. Some examples might include:

• Greater recognition (individual or team)

• Increased power or exposure

• Spiritual or religious growth

• Additional money to purchase what they value (real estate, boats, etc.)

• Increased challenges

• Access to additional knowledge

• Travel

What do you want out of life? What excites you? Well, it is probably not the same for your team members. Take the time to find out, and document, their values and belief systems