To steer reps toward higher-value but more difficult sales, create a significant risk-reward upside with much larger commissions. Crucially, do not disincentivize the easier, 'bread-and-butter' transactional deals that maintain consistent revenue flow, as this will demotivate the team.
Salespeople often steer clear of complex products because they feel insecure and fear appearing incompetent in front of knowledgeable buyers. Leaders must address this confidence gap through targeted product training and skill development, which is just as important as financial incentives.
Systematically sharing success stories about closing high-value deals is a powerful motivational tool. Hearing about a colleague's major win taps into the inherent competitiveness of salespeople, making them want to achieve a similar outcome and shifting the team's collective focus.
Salespeople are paid to be myopic and focus on immediate deals. It is the leader's responsibility to anticipate market shifts, identify where future revenue lies, and explicitly point the sales team in that new direction, even against initial resistance.