My mate Max Hitchins, an expert in the hospitality field, has just written a great e-book on how to motivate your team. Max’s stuff is always practical and, although directed at hospitality people, the ideas are easily transferable to your business. Go have a look at 25 Successful Ideas to Motivate and Incentivise your Staff.

By the way you will find not 25 but 30 great ideas on this topic coz Max believes in the adage ‘promise much and deliver more’.

Here is one of the ideas from the e-book:

I will give you an unsigned cheque for $5000 today said the gent on the telephone sitting next to me in the airport. I want you to display this cheque on your desk. If you achieve the level of sales you set for yourself by the 30th of December, I will sign the cheque for you on the 1st of January.

And I realized the gent on the telephone was using the old, but still very effective, carrot on a stick sales motivation technique with one of his sales team. A cheque can be a very powerful motivational tool.

Can you adapt the idea in your place? There is something tangible and motivational about seeing the money! You might try the unsigned cheque idea with your sales staff – what have you got to lose?