"Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

Managing a sales team involves keeping the troops motivated - most commonly with a well-structured commission package.

But money isn't always enough when a disheartened salesperson has heard too many rejections. That's when it's time to let some "bluebirds" fly.

It's not a question of turning your office into a bucolic wonderland -it just involves handing over some simpler prospects to a discouraged staff member. In sales slang, a "bluebird" involves a pre-qualified lead. For example, a potential customer who calls your company expressing a strong interest in your product or service. Some companies give these calls to the weakest or least experienced sales associate or assistants who aren't part of the sales team.

Here's a better plan: Give these prospects to your sales stars - especially when they've hit a rocky patch. Let's say a stellar performer is having a bad month because your business is cyclical. Sometimes all it takes to get an associate's confidence back up again is to make a sale. So let some bluebirds loose. It'll help keep your company's sales team operating at their highest potential and keep your profits up.