Three Ways To Inspire And Improve The Sales Organization 1. Include Salespeople In The Planning Of New Programs Start by asking the sales organization about how they want to have their voices included in the business. What would they change? What would they do if they managed it? Just as getting customer insight is important early in the product design process, you can save yourself a lot of frustration and get a much better “sales product” by including salespeople early in the design process. You don’t have to mandate feedback or ideas, just ask for volunteers. People don’t necessarily want to contribute, but they do want the choice of being able to contribute. There will be a reasonable number of people who want to actively help, either by offering ideas or in actually driving the process, so try letting them. 2. Beta Test New Sales Programs Draft your program or rule, and then submit it to groups for feedback. Beta test it. Catch bugs or design issues early, before it’s released to everyone. Yes, this means you’ll need to plan next year’s territories and comp plans BEFORE the end of this year (shocking, I know!) 3. Survey Satisfaction How satisfied are your salespeople with the support they get and their environment? What tools or parts of the environment are frustrating? You can do this by walking the halls, posing the question in sales meetings, or using a simple service like www.surveymonkey.com. It takes some work and creative thinking, but involving the sales force in the design of its own products will raise morale and engagement and improve their