Sales is hard. (Yep, we said it so you don’t have to) It’s okay to acknowledge that what you and your team do is a daily grind and isn’t for the faint of heart. As a sales manager, you know what it’s like to have those days where nothing seems to go right. Sometimes those days turn into weeks. You don’t feel good about your work… or your bank account. Okay, let’s first acknowledge that the feeling of failure is okay and take a moment to breathe in (are you breathing?) and breathe out. Ahhhh. (if you want some more of that feel good breathin’, check out this fella and his groundbreaking breathing exercises!) 

Ok, now your brain has an extra dose of oxygen to help solve this age-old industry problem: How do you motivate your sales team? How do you leave them feeling empowered? We here at Surprise believe we have the answer for you, but it may not be what you think.

Motivate with Impact

Isn’t commission enough motivation, you ask? Yes, commission itself is a motivator, for sure. But the knowledge of a commission is something that is a constant, it’s part of the job. Studies show that the impact of regular rewards systems, from bonuses to Bagel Friday, lose their luster after a while as employees adapt to these rewards systems and they quickly become the norm. Commissions are no different. 

This is why Surprise uses the impact of variable rewards to power your team and give them that extra boost towards success! Behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner found that variable rewards have a far slower “extinction rate” (the rate at which this reinforcement won’t be effective) than fixed rewards (aka bonuses). At Surprise, we believe that a mix of variable rewards (the magic of Surprise Day) plus those sparkly commissions, will help your great team rise to even greater heights!

Take Control of Stress

Let’s face it, stress is part of the job. So how do you create a healthy relationship with stress and help your team do the same? Turns out, we may have more control than we think.

in her TED talk How to Make Stress Your Friend, Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal explains how studies have shown that people who have experienced a lot of stress had a 43% increased chance of death BUT that was only for the people who believed that stress is harmful to their health. People who experienced a lot of stress, but didn’t believe it was harmful to their health were no more likely to die than others in the study. In fact, they were the least likely to die. Woah. 

If the harmful effects of stress really are mind over matter, then we have the power to create an environment where stress doesn’t thrive. As a manager, acknowledging that the job is stressful and finding ways for your team to manage the realities of their job is one of the best ways to make sure your team has all the tools they need for success! So, why don’t you encourage your sales team to take even just five minutes out of their day for a deep breathing exercise. In fact, make it a Mission. This is where we come in. We can make de-stressing a part of your team’s daily routine!

Bonus: Being Social on Surprise can Help Stress!

Did you know that Oxytocin is actually a stress hormone? McGonigal explains how our bodies naturally combat stress by driving us to be around the people who care about us most. “When you reach out to others under stress, either to seek support or to help someone else, you release more of this hormone (Oxytocin), your stress response becomes healthier and you actually recover faster from stress. Your stress response has a built in mechanism for stress resilience and that mechanism is human connection.”

Whether your team is working together in the office or over Zoom, Surprise connects your team with a fun, social interface where they can see each other’s accomplishments and cheer each other on along the way. Teammates can also send each other Surprises to acknowledge great work or just to brighten each other’s day. Things are less stressful when you tackle everyday Missions with the support of your team! 
Motivate your sales team with the power of Surprise today!

Allie Demopoulos is a Content Copywriter at Surprise.com. A writer and producer, she believes that humor is the greatest tool and that the best of anything–comedy, music, stories–are experienced in basements. When she’s not creating, you can find her in the electric streets of Manhattan, a place she feels lucky to call home.