I am frequently asked "How can I motivate my Sales Reps?"  Companies jump through hoops coming up with contests and SPIFs that will encourage the behavior they are looking for.  In actuality, the answer is right at the end of their nose...be a mentor!
 
Role models are few and far between in both our personal and professional lives. Your best reps are those that want to get better.  Providing them with a mentor who understands and communicates best practices will not only get them up to speed but will also provide them with a sounding board, a coach and a person they know has their best interests in mind. You must communicate with each rep and find out what it is that excites them. The biggest mistake that we make as leaders is assuming that each rep is motivated by money.

Make the most of nonfinancial motivators. Employees like to be recognized for good work, and to feel that their supervisors listen to and act to solve problems. It's also important to make your employees feel as though they're part of a team. Talk to them. Find out what actually gets each one of them out of bed each day. (Remember every person is different and has their own W.I.I.F.M.-whats in it for me). To one it might be weekly honor roll for the top performer, another might wat time with their significant other so a dinner for two at a nice restaurant, and another might want time with the family so an extra day off - can go a long way toward retaining the best sales people.
 
We live hectic professional lives.  But, if the last quality time you spent with your reps was to do a forecast review, then are you really giving them the best you have to offer?  Do you really know that Mike dislikes Monday morning sales meetings and that his numbers would drastically improve if you were to suggest that if he were 110% of target he could miss the meeting. Are you aware that Sally wants to be recognized as consitantly making the most dials to decision makers?

As for mentoring, almost every team has top performers that want to do more...that want to help others be successful.  Set up a program that allows them to do so and reward them for it.  There is joy in mentoring...you just have to identify those people who will feel it and give them an opportunity to do so.
 
Remember that companies can live and die by the quality of their salesforce. A dazzling sales team can generate tremendous sales for an average product or service, but a clumsy sales team might not be able to do much with even a first-rate offering.