Employee database 
Documents and e-signature 
Reporting and analytics 
Payroll and incidents 
Time and Attendance Software 
Shifts and task list 
Absences & time-off 
Workflows 
Expense management 
Recruitment and selection software 
Onboarding 
Training and procedures 
Internal communication 
Performance assessment software 
HR surveys and forms 
Chatbot 
In sales, there is a lot of talk about external customer loyalty, but what about the internal customer? Making salespeople feel committed to the company is crucial to having the talent we need on our side.
This week we talk about sales force loyalty with Monica MendozaMónica Mendoza: international speaker specialized in sales and personal development. She is included in the book Top 100 Speakers Spain, according to Thinking Heads.
Who are you and what are you passionate about?
I am Monica Mendoza, psychologist and sales expert, CEO of Energivity Consulting, a company that provides Consulting and Training Services in Sales, Motivation and Personal Development for companies and individuals.
I am an entrepreneurial woman, passionate about the world of psychology applied to marketing, sales and personal growth. On a personal level I am passionate about traveling and my family.
First, we would like you to tell us why it is important to build the loyalty of our company's sales force.
Loyalty is key. Note that we are not even talking about retention, but about making people want to be with us. It is very difficult to find good salespeople in the market, so it is key to know how to build their loyalty, since we often allocate resources to building loyalty with external customers, but we do not take into account the internal customer, which is our staff.
What are the benefits of implementing a loyalty program for sales personnel in a company?
All the benefits related to staff motivation, increased performance, lower recruitment costs, increased learning curve, etc. If the sales staff is efficient, as they are in contact with the customer who is the one who pays the payroll, it is assumed that there will be a greater loyalty of the portfolio.
What should companies do before implementing a sales force loyalty program?
They must know what motivates the sales personnel, so that these people want to continue in the company, there are people who are motivated to have more free time to be with the family, there are others who are motivated to earn more money, others are motivated by the internal projection, etc. So it is important to know what motivates each sales person.
What steps should a company take to implement a sales force loyalty program?
First of all, they must make a diagnosis of the company's profiles, what motivates them and, above all, generate an ecosystem that allows the staff to reach the objective. That is to say, it is true that the objective has to be a challenge, it does not have to be easily achievable (but not impossible either) but we must at least take into account the design of that ecosystem that allows them to work at ease and have the tools to achieve that objective.
Once we have this ecosystem, we must establish a series of performance indicators or KPIs, since you cannot improve what you cannot measure, and associate part of the loyalty program to the compensation system.
Finally, what should and should not a company expect after implementing a sales force loyalty program?
A company, after implementing a loyalty program, should expect staff to be more involved in the organization. There are two types of motivation:
- Extrinsic: It is a motivation proper to people who try to achieve the objective, or are motivated, based on external factors.
- Intrinsic: These are people whose motivational engine is within themselves.
We have to get employees who are intrinsically motivated to work with us and want to reach the sales target. And we are no longer talking about the sales target. If we put the customer at the center, which is the right thing to do, we have to have employees who want to serve the customer so that they are happy and satisfied. That is the most important thing that we must not forget.
Nowadays, with the millennial generation and later generations, it is a great challenge to retain talent in general, what would you advise us to do?
The new generations have grown up with digitalization, and increasingly prioritize flexible hours and telecommuting. Many studies such as InfoJobs have shown that the new generations are more nonconformist, they question more their job and so decide if it is where they want to be, that is, to see if that job is a "means" for the life project they have or "an end" in itself.
The new generations value being able to have a growth plan, where they can continue learning, where they are valued, where they have new challenges and where they can make their personal and professional lives compatible. The work paradigm is undoubtedly changing and we must adapt to it.
