How to Create a Motivational Culture for Marathon Millennial Salespeople (Video also)
Sprinting and marathon running are at opposite ends of the athletic spectrum. One lasts a matter of seconds and the other goes on for hours. Therefore, it’s only natural that coaches will have different training methods for these athletes. Sprinters must get off to a good start to remain competitive in a race. They spend hours practicing a quick reaction to the starting gun. Conversely, marathon runners must leave energy for the end of the race or run the risk of not finishing.
As a business owner, consider these three questions…
- Are you coaching a sales team of sprinters? They start strong but are quick to give up and look for another job.
- How do you create a motivational culture for marathon salespeople who are in it for the long haul?
- How do you build sustained engagement in your next-gen leaders to eventually successfully take over the family business?
In an article, Millennials: The Job-Hopping Generation, Amy Adkins reports on the findings of the Gallup study, “How Millennials want to work and live.” Gallup found that 60% of Millennials say they are open to a different job opportunity – that’s 15 percentage points higher than the percentage of non-millennial workers who say the same.
So why are Millennials so keen on moving around? The Gallup study found that one of the main contributing factors could be their low engagement in the workplace. Look at these stats….
- Only 29 percent of Millennials are emotionally and behaviorally connected to their job and company.
- Another 16 percent are actively disengaged, meaning they could be intentionally damaging the business.
Millennials, the techno-wizards, are telling us that, in order to attract and retain them, we need to engage them in the workplace.
In the digital decade, no matter how important the new AI or robotics system is, we need to create a culture where our emerging leaders are motivated. However, we need to remember our up-and-coming sales leaders are unique and might be motivated in one of three motivational styles:
- Extrinsic – Motivated by external rewards (commissions, bonuses, prizes, personal/professional status). Work with them to identify financial rewards with milestone accomplishments.
- Intrinsic – Motivated by internal rewards (satisfaction, dedication to the work, fidelity to a higher purpose). Discuss how they might connect their goals to their core values and aspirations.
- Altruistic – Motivated by a concern for others (service before self). Acknowledge the importance of serving both external and internal clients.
In our Sales Growth Webinar Series, my co-host, Hunter Byington, and I will be tackling this topic.
Plus, all participants will get a complimentary copy of my new eBook, Millennial Sales Motivation, where I discuss the steps that you can take to build the sales capacity of your next-gen salesperson.
You can also watch my video on this topic below:
In my next article in this series, I will tell you how to become a specialist in millennial sales coaching.
Leadership Lesson: Experienced leaders create a motivational culture that keeps their up-and-coming sales leaders fully engaged.
Leadership Question: What are you doing to ensure that your next-gen leaders are fully engaged and motivated in the workplace?
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