HR MANAGEMENT - Motivational Team Building Ideas for Sales

Motivational Team Building Ideas for Sales

by Kevin Johnston, Demand Media

Team-building doesn't just happen; you have to foster it.

If your small business has several salespeople, think about making them into a team. Rather than competing with each other, they can work together to outmaneuver your competition. You can foster a team spirit and motivate your sales staff to reach successively higher goals by providing team-building activities and exercises.

Reenact a Reality Show

American Outback Adventures and Events recommends an activity inspired by television's "The Amazing Race." Assign teams of salespeople to race to uncover a series of clues you have hidden and tasks they must complete in order to locate the finish line. The first team to read the clues correctly and finish the tasks wins a trophy. You and the sales staff can celebrate at a restaurant or bar and trade stories about the day's drama. This exercise builds camaraderie and teaches skills in pursuing goals under pressure.

Egg Balancing

This trick tests positive thinking, motivation and grace under pressure. With your sales staff sitting around a conference table, give them each a raw egg. The task is to stand the egg on its end. This can be done with patience and dexterity, choosing the big end to support the egg. The team-building catch, however, is that the entire staff must get the eggs balanced at the same time. You can offer a prize such as lunch if the team members can achieve the same goal at the same moment. This activity encourages individuals to achieve in order to help the team.

Philanthropy

Get your sales team to sign up for a food drive or some other charitable event. Tell them you expect them to deliver stellar results for the charity because they will be representing everyone who works for your business. The sense of pulling together for a worthy cause can translate into a cohesive team that pulls together to take your business to new heights.

Pass the Ball

Have your sales staff stand in a circle, with each person a few feet away from his neighbor for room to toss a ball. Hand the first person the ball and have her toss the ball the the next person. That person tosses it to the next, and so on. As soon as the group has mastered not dropping the ball, introduce a second ball of a different size. See if the team can keep both balls moving. Keep introducing balls, up to five. After the balls drop, discuss how too much stress and juggling too many tasks can hinder performance.