1、3 Ways to Focus Seller Energy on GrowthGartner for Sales LeadersHow to Motivate and Retain Your Sales TeamHow to Motivate and Retain Your Sales TeamYour Sellers Are Not Okay But They Could Be Sellers are exhausted.Nearly 90%of them say theyre burned out,according to a recent Gartner Seller Motivatio

2、n Survey of more than 900 B2B sellers,and more than half say theyre looking for a new job.Chief sales officers(CSOs)are aware of the issues and are trying to hold on to sellers who can thrive in todays disruptive environment by emphasizing initiative,persistence and the ability to overcome setbacks

3、as critical characteristics for their team members.These attributes define“seller drive,”which our research finds to be associated with higher quota attainment and lower burnout.59%think management doesnt understand how to motivate89%of sellers feel burned out54%are actively looking for a new job67%

4、feel leadership is overly optimistic and disconnected from seller realityCSOs typically look to cultivate drive with compensation,recognition and organizational culture.But these approaches dont seem to be working in todays environment.In fact,59%of sellers say their leadership“doesnt understand wha

5、t really motivates sellers like me.”So what does motivate sellers?Our research found that a lack of drive isnt the problem.Instead,the bigger issue is drag.To help sellers,CSOs need to understand drag and how to address it.3Source:GartnerSource:GartnerSeller Drive vs.Seller DragDrive is motivation t

6、oward work,and it manifests as feeling engaged,ready to act,mentally alert and persistent in the face of obstacles.Sellers,and their leaders,want drive,because its associated with higher quota attainment and lower burnout.Given its benefits,theres good news in the fact that 76%of sellers have high d

7、rive.Meaning,they are likely to agree with five statements about their level of engagement and persistence at work.Thats right three out of four sellers already are driven.So whats the problem?476%of sellers report high drive 17%of sellers report low drag How to Motivate and Retain Your Sales TeamTh

8、e challenge is drag,or demotivation away from work.It manifests as the tendency to procrastinate,feel bored,avoid work,struggle with focus and go through the motions.Sellers experiencing drag achieve lower quota attainment,have higher burnout,are more likely to express intent to leave and have short

9、er expected tenures than those who dont.And heres the bad news only 17%of sellers report low levels of drag.How to Motivate and Retain Your Sales Team5Reducing Seller Drag Is KeyAbout a quarter of all sellers experience high drag,and more than half experience medium levels of drag.Improving their ex

10、perience could have an outsized impact on seller performance,given that sellers experiencing Sellers With Lower Drag Achieve More Quota Difference in Mean Quota Attained Based on Hypothetical Seller QuotaIllustrativeLower Drag Means Less Active Job HuntingPercentage of Sellers Actively Job Hunting b

11、y Level of Drag Source:Gartnern=906 Sellers Source:2022 Gartner Seller Motivation Survey Mean Quota Attainment for High Drag$4MHigh DragHigh Drag0%50%100%(n=240)(n=512)(n=154)Low DragMedium DragLow DragMean Quota Attainment for Low Drag$6.76MHypothetical Seller Quota:$5M USD 1.69x70%25%-64%-72%7%xlo

12、w drag on average achieved quotas that were around 70%higher than sellers with high drag.Low-drag sellers were also less likely to be job hunting with only 7%of them actively looking compared to 70%of high-drag sellers.How to Motivate and Retain Your Sales Team6The Four Main Causes of Seller DragSel

13、ler drag comes from multiple sources,some of them consistent with the challenges employees face in any role.They include having a lack of development opportunities,feeling like a“cog in a machine,”a lack of clear manager feedback and a high burden of non-value-added administrative tasks.Each makes i

14、t less likely that a seller will meet their quota and more likely that theyll be looking for new employment.Sources of Drag Impact Performance and Attrition Maximum Impact(via Drag)of Drivers on Quota Attainment and Likelihood of Active Job Seekingn=687 Sellers;747 Sellers Source:2022 Gartner Seller

15、 Motivation Survey Lack of Development OpportunitiesFeeling Like a Cog in a MachineVague,Unactionable Manager FeedbackAdministrative Burden0%60%-60%0%-30%30%-35%+51%-34%+44%-27%+31%-23%+27%Likelihood of Attaining QuotaLikelihood of Active Job SeekingHow to Motivate and Retain Your Sales Team7Three W

16、ays to Reduce Seller DragCSOs who adopt a laser focus on reducing drag can improve seller engagement and motivation regardless of the business context.There are three effective ways to reduce drag.But before we dive into each of them,CSOs be warned:These three actions can effectively reduce drag and

17、 by doing so,improve seller motivation.But they only work for sellers who are at least moderately satisfied with their compensation.As it happens,80%of sellers are satisfied,and only 24%think their compensation is not fair.But if sellers in your organization fall in that 24%,your first efforts shoul

18、d focus on compensation fairness.Once that is done,you can tackle drag in the following three ways:Diagnose and address sources of seller drag Create career growth opportunitiesEmpower sellersHow to Motivate and Retain Your Sales Team8Diagnose Sources of DragDrag manifests in different ways and can

19、have different causes depending on the organization,the individual seller and even individual roles.To successfully tackle it,CSOs should work to identify high-impact causes and take steps to address them.Start by gathering information from sellers to understand their experiences.Leverage one-on-one

20、 interviews,anonymous surveys,group feedback sessions and other techniques.Analyze the information to surface key sources of drag.Keep in mind that sellers may highlight different challenges that stem from the same root cause.For example,one seller might say they dont have time for personal developm

21、ent,and another might say they often have to work late to get paperwork in on time.Both could mean that sellers are handling too many accounts.Once you have identified high-impact sources of drag,you can solicit ideas from sellers on how to address them.There likely will be multiple sources and mult

22、iple potential solutions.Prioritize the ideas to implement,and set clear goals and metrics so you will know if a tested idea has impact.Share the results with sellers,and revisit your list of sources and ideas to continuously remove barriers to success for your sellers.Solicit IdeasGather Informatio

23、nPrioritizeImplementPublicize&RevisitIdentify High-Impact Causes of DragHow to Motivate and Retain Your Sales Team9Create Development OpportunitiesThe second strategy for reducing seller drag is to directly tackle the No.1 cause of seller drag identified in our research a lack of development opportu

24、nities.Ensure that sellers have a clear idea about the potential career paths in your organization by:Providing a holistic view of available roles and paths to advancement in the organization.Creating a career lattice can help.Standardizing and publicizing competencies,experiences and benefits acros

25、s roles so that sellers can pursue personal development that aligns with their career aspirations.Allowing sellers to test-drive new roles through rotational or development programs.Seller Career Development LatticeJareds Career PathIllustrative Source:GartnerRegional VPSDR ManagerKey Account Manage

26、rContent Marketing SpecialistCustomer Success SpecialistCustomer Success ManagerHead of Sales EnablementHead of L&DField Sales ManagerEnablement Program/Product ManagerSenior SDRSales Development Representative(SDR)Actual Career PathPossible Career PathField Sales RepAccount ManagerTenureJob Complex

27、ity and Scope of ResponsibilityHow to Motivate and Retain Your Sales Team10Empower SellersEmpowering sellers counteracts that second-biggest source of drag feeling like a cog in a machine which was reported by more than half of sellers.Seller empowerment involves encouraging sellers to make their ow

28、n decisions about how to solve customer problems and improve sales processes.There are three key principles of empowerment:Meaningful work.Empowerment opportunities must be worthwhile and impactful.Meaning,they have a visible impact on the customer or on other sellers,and they address an unsolved ne

29、ed for the customer or the organization.Guardrails.Boundaries are in place to limit risks to the organization from seller innovations.This includes a process to define when and how sellers can innovate,equip sellers with the skills to innovate and establish a process for approving innovations.Export

30、ability.When seller innovations are successful,the organization has a mechanism to export them to other areas.For example,by creating a product brief that defines the problem and the solution and allows cross-functional stakeholders to collaborate on creating a formal product.Principles for Successf

31、ul Seller EmpowermentSource:GartnerMeaningful WorkEnsuring that empowerment opportunities for sellers are perceived as worthwhile and impactfulGuardrailsEstablishing boundaries that limit risks associated with seller innovationExportabilityLeveraging the output of successful seller insightsHow to Mo

32、tivate and Retain Your Sales Team11How Gartner Helps Sales Leaders Increase Seller Motivation To keep sellers engaged and motivated through current and future disruptions,sales leaders must diagnose sources of drag within their organization,build out clear seller career paths and design opportunitie

33、s that empower sellers.Gartner has everything you need to start turning insights into action.Example:How Gartner supports you as a client:Diagnose your current stateDevelop your planExecute and drive changeDiagnostics and benchmarksUse the Seller Time Spend Assessment to evaluate how and where selle

34、rs are spending time across the sales process to pinpoint seller burden and where high-performers focus their efforts.Join a live executive retreat to dig into the complete findings of this study,and work with other sales leaders through interactive exercises designed to equip you with the best prac

35、tices for motivating your sellers.Leverage the Ignition Guide to Designing Sales Career Paths for step-by-step guidance on providing sellers with tangible growth opportunities.Use the Frontline Sales Manager Diagnostic to identify the strengths and weaknesses of sales managers throughout your organi

36、zation.Schedule an inquiry with a Gartner expert to discuss seller motivation and craft an approach specific to your organization.Establish opportunities for career advancement using the Seller Driven Career Progression FedEx Case Study.Diagnose sources of drag in your organization using the Lever S

37、ellers as Co-Investigators Case Study.Use the Sales Turnover Cost Calculator to quantify the cost of seller turnover to build a business case for increased investment in seller engagement.Expert inquiryLive eventsCase studies and best practicesDocument reviewsGuides and toolkitsExpert researchPeer c

38、onnectionsWebinars and online learning events12How to Motivate and Retain Your Sales TeamReduce Drag to Motivate Sellers There is no one cause of drag and no one solution to addressing it.In fact,most sellers experiencing drag feel it coming from multiple sources.Recognizing that traditional ways of

39、 motivating sellers are missing the mark,and taking a holistic approach to addressing the sources of drag your sellers face,can help retain talent and keep them focused on delivering value to the customer.How to Motivate and Retain Your Sales TeamExplore these additional complimentary resources for

40、sales leaders:WebinarIncrease Sellers Motivation,Hunger and Energy to Close More DealsLearn how to motivate sellers and identify ways to reduce drag in your sales force.Watch WebinarPodcastThe Gartner Sales PodcastExperts highlight important implications and unexpected findings for senior sales lead

41、ers.Listen NowConferenceGartner CSO&Sales Leader ConferenceGet expert advice,actionable insight and tools to stay ahead of change.Learn MoreActionable,objective insightAlready a client?Get access to even more resources in your client portal.Log InTemplateOne-Page Sales Strategic Planning TemplateDev

42、elop your sales strategic plan with this one-page template.Download Template13 2022 Gartner,Inc.and/or its affiliates.All rights reserved.CM_GBS_1943707Connect With UsGet actionable,objective insight to deliver on your mission-critical priorities.Our expert guidance and tools enable faster,smarter decisions and stronger performance.Contact us to become a client:U.S.:1 855 811 7593 International:+44(0)3330 607 044Become a ClientLearn more about Gartner for Sales Leaders connected to the latest insightsAttend a Gartner conference View Conference