Sales Leadership: Motivating Our Peers and Inspiring Collaboration

As sales leaders it is easy to assume that our “why” or our only motivation to do good work is to close business and to reach our quotas. But there is so much more to our jobs. To be truly effective, we need to discover what else motivates our teammates and use that to contribute to our team’s success. Beyond our own sales team, collaborating with other departments can help us to make a sale, create a unique experience for a guest, or find new ways to elevate the brand. 

Motivating your peers involves leveraging individual strengths and fostering a supportive environment. For instance, if you recognize a colleague’s creativity, you can involve them in tasks that require innovative thinking, thereby energizing them and enhancing team performance. Additionally, organizing friendly competitions, such as prospecting week challenges, can boost motivation by tapping into the natural competitive spirit of salespeople.  

Inviting other departments to collaborate on unique tasks or sales initiatives helps increase overall performance and increase companywide engagement. It’s important to approach other departments with clear goals and a sense of how this benefits them to avoid risking the perception that you are simply generating a new task for them. 

One effective approach is to involve departments like the front desk or housekeeping in regular meetings, where you discuss both wins and challenges. This communication helps them feel like part of the team and see how their work ties more “big picture” issues. Sending out memos to inform all departments about upcoming client visits and acknowledging their efforts in person can foster a sense of teamwork. For remote teams, setting up office hours and quarterly health check sessions can help make sure everyone understands the impact of their contributions. Customizing incentives to match employee preferences, like offering lottery tickets to housekeepers, can also drive engagement and productivity. 

Further Reading 

Questions for Your Team 

1. How do you help keep your immediate team motivated without being the leader of the team? 
2. How do you invite/inspire other departments (catering, revenue, marketing, F&B, front desk, concierge) to collaborate with you on unique tasks or sales initiatives?

Tayla Hull, National Sales Manager, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, HSMAI Rising Sales Leader Member

This article originally appeared on HSMAI.