thomasligornewyork.com

Motivating a sales team is pivotal to the success of any business. The unique challenges faced by sales professionals—rejection, pressure to meet targets, and the constant need for adaptability—demand a proactive approach to motivation. A motivated sales team is not just more productive but also more engaged, creative, and committed to achieving their goals. In this blog, Thomas Ligor of New York will delve into effective techniques to inspire and drive your sales team towards unparalleled success.

Understand Individual Motivators

Before implementing broad motivational strategies, it’s crucial to recognize that each salesperson is driven by different motivators. While some may be motivated by financial rewards, others seek recognition, opportunities for advancement, or the intrinsic satisfaction of meeting their goals. Engaging in one-on-one conversations to understand what motivates each team member can provide invaluable insights into tailoring your motivational strategies effectively.

Set Clear Goals and Expectations

Clarity is the foundation of motivation. Setting clear, achievable goals provides your team with a roadmap to success. These goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). Equally important is ensuring that each team member understands their role in achieving these goals and the expectations placed upon them. This clarity not only drives motivation but also helps in tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement.

Foster a Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment encourages collaboration, innovation, and productivity. Celebrate successes, both big and small, to build a culture of recognition and appreciation. Encourage open communication, where team members feel valued and heard. This includes not just celebrating successes but also constructively addressing failures. A supportive atmosphere where risks are encouraged and failures are viewed as learning opportunities can significantly boost motivation.

Offer Continuous Training and Development

The sales landscape is constantly evolving, and so should your team’s skills. Continuous training and professional development opportunities can keep your team at the top of their game, adapting to new trends and techniques. This not only benefits your business but also shows your team that you’re invested in their growth, which can be a powerful motivator.

Implement Incentive Programs

While intrinsic motivation is crucial, extrinsic rewards play a significant role in driving sales performance. Tailored incentive programs that reward meeting and exceeding targets can significantly boost motivation. Consider a mix of monetary rewards, extra time off, public recognition, and opportunities for career advancement as part of your incentive program. Ensure these incentives align with your team’s personal motivators for maximum impact.

Encourage Healthy Competition

Healthy competition can bring out the best in your sales team, encouraging them to push their boundaries and improve. Leaderboards, sales contests, and challenges that reward top performers can motivate your team, but it’s vital to maintain a positive, supportive atmosphere where competition encourages growth rather than creating divisiveness.

Provide Constructive Feedback

Feedback is a powerful motivational tool when used correctly. Regular, constructive feedback helps team members understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Positive feedback reinforces successful behaviors, while constructive criticism, delivered in a supportive manner, can guide improvements. Make feedback a two-way street, encouraging team members to share their insights and suggestions for the team and management.

Foster Team Collaboration

Encourage a team-based approach to sales, where success is shared and celebrated collectively. This not only motivates individual team members but also strengthens the team as a whole. Collaboration can lead to innovative solutions and strategies, enhancing the team’s performance and motivation.

Motivating a sales team requires a multifaceted approach that recognizes the individual and collective needs of your team members. By understanding what drives each member, setting clear goals, fostering a positive work environment, offering continuous development opportunities, implementing tailored incentive programs, encouraging healthy competition, providing constructive feedback, and promoting collaboration, you can create a highly motivated team poised for success. Remember, a motivated sales team is the engine of your business’s growth, and investing in their motivation is investing in your business’s future.

Increased eCommerce sales during the holiday season can be achieved by implementing 3 simple tips:

1. Plan, plan, plan
2. Optimize the customer experience
3. Complete a post-sales review

Thomas Ligor of New York provides the best and most useful strategies below to maximize sales and revenue for a happy (and profitable) holiday season.

Planning for the Season

Early research and planning is key to defining an effective marketing strategy. Identify the business’ key audience and leverage customer segmentation to target sales campaigns, create personalized discounts, or giveaways. Use the information to tailor the sales approach to fit the business’ customer base.

Some ideas include:

• Offering a discount for recently browsed items or abandoned carts
• Creating a holiday bundle to upsell or cross-sell products; or
• Offering personalized discounts based on loyalty status

Regardless of sector, free shipping and returns is a surefire way to increase sales. According to Shopify.com, free shipping has a significant influence on purchasing for 75% of global shoppers. Shipping is an important part of the online shopping experience and can be the deciding factor whether a customer completes their purchase or abandons their cart.

During the holiday season, the scarcity mindset can drive customers to make quick purchases out of fear of products becoming unavailable. A “sense of urgency” discount, such as limited stock or discount countdowns, can persuade customers to buy now, not later.

Why Customer Experience Optimization is Important

An eCommerce business’ website is the main customer contact point, so the online customer experience must be convenient and professional. Invest in technology to create the best customer experience, aligned to the marketing strategy created above.

The website speed needs to be quick enough that customers stay on the page. To achieve faster loading times, reduce image sizes or minimize CSS or Javascript files. Specialist companies can optimize a website for a great customer experience, ultimately building brand loyalty.

M-commerce is a growing sales channel for eCommerce retailers and accounted for 70.4% of all retail eCommerce sales in 2020. Reduce customer frustration by removing the need to scroll horizontally or zoom in on a mobile device. It can make all the difference in the run-up to the holiday season, when tension is already high.

In addition to technology, eCommerce businesses should invest in their after-sales care. Customer services tend to get involved when the sales process has gone wrong, and customers are already feeling stressed. The human touch can improve and enhance the overall customer experience, helping to build brand loyalty for the next holiday period.

Do a Post-Review

After the holiday season has passed, it’s important to review the strategy and sales returns. Look at what went well and what could have gone better. Identify the strategies that can be reimplemented the following year, such as free shipping or holiday bundles, as well as those that may need improvement.

The sooner the review is done, the more time can be spent planning for the next holiday period to drive even bigger and better returns.

All About the Chelsea Market in New York City

Chelsea Market, located in the center of New York City’s Meatpacking District, is one of the world’s finest indoor retail and food marketplaces.

Thomas Ligor explains below how the iconic culinary spot became an internationally esteemed brand, featuring a wide range of diverse merchants, making it far more than a regular market.

Where It All Began

Historically, the area was the food-focused spot of the city, starting with the Algonquin Indians and their passion for trading crops and game by the Hudson River.

High Line trains brought meat to the wholesale butchers dotting the streets below the tracks, cooling the produce with ice from the river. And the spot where Chelsea Market sits in all its glory? That building once housed the National Biscuit Company factory.

The area’s rich history and stunning, bare-brick architecture gives the Market a bespoke character that locals and tourists alike won’t find anywhere else.

Today, the always-written-about destination attracts a whopping six million visitors every year, earning its title as one of the most trafficked locations in all of New York City.

Neighborhood Market, Global Ideas

The Market’s collection of distinctive merchants creates a lively, welcoming environment for both locals and tourists. Chelsea Market boasts a selection like no other, from NYC’s finest fishmongers to the greatest whole-animal butchers to the matured artisanal cheeses to the imported European dry goods.

The fresh produce combined with the ready-to-eat savory meals tantalizing tongues makes it one of the most beloved destinations for regulars and once-in-a-lifetime travelers.

Spotlighting Local Favorites

While the Market encourages wandering and getting lost in the gorgeous smells and tastes, Chelsea Market has a few must-visit chefs and makers:

• Rachel Simons — This passionate Australian foodie founded Seed + Mill, a sesame concept store servicing artisanal halva (and more) in upwards of 30 flavors. It’s well-loved by those who are gluten-free, kosher, or plant-based.
• Sarabeth Levine — The multi-award-winning artisanal baker, jam maker, cookbook author, restaurateur, and winner of the Outstanding Pasty Chef of the Year award, Sarabeth Levine, founded her business in 1981. She was even given an Honorary Doctorate for her fantastic achievements. Today, she operates the now-15,000-square-foot jam-making facility and a 4,400-square-foot bakery and cafe with her husband, Bill Levine. Aptly named Sarabeth’s, visitors can expect to indulge in wonderfully delicious baked goods.
• Anne Saxelby — This lover of transforming milk into cheese opened her business, Saxelby Cheesemongers, in 2006. But it’s no longer a little stall on Essex Street Market. Nowadays, it’s a vast wholesale and distribution site serving restaurants across the nation.
• Jeremy Rousselet — Growing up in Normandy, baked goods surrounded Jeremy Rousselet. So, naturally, he began training, and after many years, he opened Neighborhood Goods’ Tiny Feast, where his customers delight in French cuisine and stunning pastries.

Chelsea Market: The Food Marketplace to End All Food Marketplaces

For local self-proclaimed foodies and international visitors, it’s common to arrive for breakfast and not step outside until lunchtime. There’s simply that much to tickle their tastebuds.