Making Sales More Profitable
GETTING SALES RIGHT IS much more complex than it used to be. Persuasion is no longer enough. You need creative people and relevant data in the field, supported by an efficient but flexible operation back at home base. And if you manage a sales force, you also must know how to keep your talent engaged and excited. In their article “Motivating Salespeople: What Really Works,” Thomas Steenburgh and Michael Ahearne argue that most companies have their incentives all wrong. One-size-fits-all compensation plans undermine team performance, they say, because salespeople at distinct points on the performance curve—stars, core performers, and laggards—vary in how they respond to different inducements. The authors lay out which programs work best for each segment of your team and offer advice on how to structure incentives accordingly. Sales reps…