The new year is in full swing and now is the perfect time to reset and refocus your dealership for a strong February. With January winding down, February 1 marks a fresh opportunity to turn strategies into real momentum. After the hustle of year-end pushes and the holiday season, your team, especially your sales managers, might still be feeling the weight of the grind.

Great leaders know that motivation starts at the top. By energizing your sales managers with clear incentives and supporting your sales team with recognition, streamlined processes, and meaningful bonuses, you can create the momentum needed for a record-breaking February and beyond.

Here’s how to motivate smarter, not harder, as you kick off February:

Celebrate January’s Wins & Set the Tone for February

Sales teams and managers thrive on recognition. Starting the month by acknowledging individual and team successes builds morale and sets a positive tone for February. Studies show that 69% of employees work harder when they feel appreciated (Source: Gallup).

• Host a January Recap Meeting: Highlight January’s top closers and share dealership-wide accomplishments. Recognize both sales reps and managers who contributed to the team’s success.
  
  
• Set Realistic Goals for February: Sales reps should focus on building momentum by clearing aged inventory or following up on warm leads. Managers should clearly outline team goals and introduce an incentive structure tied to their team’s performance.

Bonus Tip: Tie manager goals directly to Q1 outcomes with an incentive for exceeding targets. For example, if a sales manager’s team achieves 110% of February’s unit sales goal, they could earn a bonus at the end of the quarter.

Refocus Processes to Work Smarter, Not Harder

Take this time to evaluate and improve workflows, so your team and managers are better prepared to hit February’s goals. Streamlined processes make life easier for everyone and ensure more time is spent on closing deals, not fighting inefficiencies.

• Example: Dedicate the last week of January to cleaning up your CRM. Managers should be encouraged to prioritize warm leads, cut out dead opportunities, and reallocate resources where they’re most effective.
  
  
• Relevant Stat: Sales teams with organized pipeline processes are 28% more likely to hit their targets (Source: Salesforce).

By improving workflows, sales managers and their teams can work more efficiently and confidently in February.

Build Energy with Collaboration, Friendly Competition, & Manager Motivation

Energy flows from the top down. Empowering sales managers with meaningful incentives and fostering collaboration and competition within their teams will set the stage for a strong February performance.

• Team Collaboration: Encourage managers to lead brainstorming sessions where reps share winning strategies. This strengthens team bonds and provides sales managers with opportunities to mentor and inspire their teams.
  
  
• Friendly Competition: Introduce a leaderboard challenge for February, rewarding top performers with cash prizes, extra PTO days, or fun perks. Managers should oversee and track progress to keep the team engaged.

Real-World Example: A Midwest dealership boosted Q1 momentum by offering its sales managers quarterly bonuses tied to team success. For example, if a manager’s team hit their Q1 goal and exceeded it by 10%, the manager earned a $1,500 bonus. This incentive motivated managers to take ownership of team performance and focus on coaching their reps.

Fast Start Bonus Ideas for February

Nothing sparks motivation like fresh, exciting incentives. Here are some ideas to get your sales team and managers fired up:

1. Leaderboard Rewards for Reps: Each week in February, recognize the top 3 closers with prizes like cash bonuses, dinner gift cards, or even fun perks like extra PTO days.
   
   
2. First 5-Day Sprint: Offer a bonus for deals closed in the first five days of February. This creates urgency and builds momentum for the rest of the month.
   
   
3. Team Goal Incentive: If the entire sales team hits a collective February target, celebrate with a team lunch or raffle for high-value prizes.
   
   
4. Push Old Age Bonus: Reward sales reps for clearing aged inventory. For instance, offer $100 for every vehicle sold on the lot for over 60 days. This helps maintain cash flow while motivating reps to focus on stagnant inventory.
   
   
5. Quarterly Manager Bonuses: Introduce performance-based quarterly bonuses for sales managers tied to team outcomes. For example, a $1,000 bonus if the team achieves 100% of their quarterly goal, with additional tiers for exceeding targets (e.g., $1,500 for 110%, $2,000 for 120%).

Why February’s Start Matters

February 1 isn’t just another day—it’s an opportunity to reset, refocus, and set the tone for the rest of the year. By celebrating wins, refining workflows, motivating sales reps, and introducing quarterly bonuses for managers, you’re investing in a culture of success from the ground up.

Take Action This Week:

• Schedule a meeting with your team to celebrate January’s wins and outline February’s goals.
  
  
• Implement one of the fast-start bonuses to energize your sales reps for the month ahead.
  
  
• Announce a quarterly bonus structure for sales managers, giving them a clear incentive to coach and inspire their teams toward success.

If you are looking for new ways to drive momentum and energize your sales team, our Big Time Advertising & Marketing team can help. From crafting impactful sales contests to designing strategies that keep your team engaged and focused, we’re here to help you boost performance and close more deals.

Reach out today to learn how we can help you build the right momentum for February and beyond. Let’s make 2025 a year of growth, success, and unstoppable energy in your dealership!

-by Terry MacCauley, Founder & CEO

Started our week by drawing inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Goalcast’s "Martin Luther King Jr. Speech – How to Design Your Life’s Blueprint." In this empowering speech, Dr. King reminds us of the importance of creating a solid life blueprint and always moving forward, no matter the challenges.

We carry this motivation throughout the week, determined to keep pushing toward our goals.

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