How to Make Your Sales Team’s Day More Fun & Engaging (And Successful)

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So I was reading a post by Kevin Eikenberry the other day “Why Leaders Must Consider Fun as Part of Their Job,” and I was struck by how true that really is.

Do you ever think of work as fun? Or is it just another four-letter word to you?

Now before you start to think this is some new techie fluff that has no factual basis or business case, consider these stats:

  • Google lets its employees play beach volleyball, climb a rock wall, and go bowling – and they set a company record of $57.86 billion in revenue in 2013
  • This Forbes article notes research by Pryce-Jones that shows happy employees are 50% more productive than unhappy ones
  • That research also continues to add that the least happy workers report they spend about 40% of their time actually doing what they’re supposed to, while the happiest workers spend about 80% of their time doing work-related tasks

So it’s pretty clear that if your sales team enjoys what they do, they’re going to be much more valuable to your company.

Tips for Making Your Workplace More Fun

But how do you create an enjoyable work culture that also emphasizes performance?

Here are some tips:

1. Be fun, casual, and relaxed yourself. As you the leader go, so goes your sales team. You have to model a fun attitude to inspire it for your employees.

There’s no way you’re going to have fun all the time – sometimes bad things happen and you’re going to be stressed. But make it a daily commitment to make your workplace more fun, and you will notice results.

2. Make sure your employees are in the right job. Everybody has natural talents, and when they put those to use, they experience joy and fun. You can’t make somebody who’s not suited for sales have fun if they’re not a good fit for the position.

If you have an employee on your sales team who just isn’t a natural sales person, it’s time to let them go.

3. Define which types of humor are acceptable in your workplace. Different organizations and employees have varying comfort zones with their humor. Some businesses are willing to laugh at themselves, while others want a more professional image.

Make sure you have clear boundaries that state which humor is and is not acceptable.

4. Organize a fun committee, or at least get feedback from your employees. If you have a larger department, a committee makes more sense. If it’s smaller, get opinions directly from your sales team.

When your employees have a say in what’s going on, they’re much more likely to buy into it. And besides, it’s no fun to come up with all the ideas and strategy yourself.

There’s Genuine Business Value in Fun…

So if your workplace is drab, serious, and work is a drudgery, it’s time to change that.

And if you’re already enjoying your work, maybe it’s time to review what you’re doing and see if you can’t make your workplace a little more fun – and profitable!