How to Inspire and Motivate Your Sales Team for a Strong Start to 2026

Starting 2026 with Intentional Energy

A strong start to the year is more than hitting quota—it’s about creating momentum that lasts. To inspire your team, leaders need to combine emotional motivation with actionable frameworks.

Recent research from Matt Dixon and Ted McKenna—the minds behind The JOLT Effect—and Dixon’s new 2025 release, The Activator Advantage, reveal what truly drives sales performance in today’s buyer environment. Their work shows that the most effective sellers aren’t just “closers”; they’re Activators—salespeople who spark customer confidence and momentum.

Why Early Momentum Matters

Reason	Impact
Sets tone and expectation	Defines team culture for the year
Builds confidence	Early success fuels belief
Creates alignment	Unites team behind shared goals
Generates compounding energy	Each small win adds up to a strong first quarter

What Is an “Activator” Salesperson?

Building on The JOLT Effect, which studied how elite sellers overcome buyer indecision, The Activator Advantage identifies the defining behaviors of top-performing reps.

Activator sellers:

• Instill confidence in buyers by reducing risk and clarifying next steps.

• Create momentum in deals by helping customers move from uncertainty to action.

• Model optimism and ownership internally, inspiring teammates to move faster.

• Use structured frameworks (like the JOLT model—Judge the indecision, Offer a recommendation, Limit the exploration, Take risk off the table) to turn stalled opportunities into decisions.

This mindset applies not just to customers—but to sales teams themselves. Great sales leaders activate motivation by creating confidence and clarity.

Insights from Matt Dixon & Ted McKenna

Expert	Background	Key Insight
Matt Dixon	Author of The Challenger Sale, The Effortless Experience, The JOLT Effect, and The Activator Advantage	Activation is the missing ingredient between knowledge and action—great leaders turn insight into movement.
Ted McKenna	Co-author of The JOLT Effect, behavioral researcher, and sales performance expert	Buyers don’t fear a bad decision—they fear making any decision. Sellers win by instilling confidence and clarity.

Together, their research redefines how motivation and confidence drive both customer and seller behavior.

“The best leaders don’t just motivate—they activate”

— Matt Dixon

Explore more at jolteffect.com or dixonspeaks.com.

5 Ways to Activate Motivation in 2026

Strategy	Why It Works	How to Apply
Establish a North Star Metric	Focuses energy on shared purpose	Tie metrics to impact (e.g., customer outcomes)
Host an Activator-Themed Kickoff	Sparks belief and ownership	Invite Matt Dixon or Ted McKenna to present The Activator Keynote
Launch 90-Day Micro Sprints	Builds early success habits	Celebrate small wins that create momentum
Empower Peer Mentors	Multiplies motivation through collaboration	Train “Activators” within the team to model high-performance behaviors
Normalize Learning from Failure	Encourages experimentation	Reward smart risks and share lessons transparently

Measuring Motivation

Track both results and sentiment to ensure your activation strategies work:

Performance Metrics:

• Q1 pipeline growth

• Win rate lift

• Average deal velocity

Engagement Metrics:

• Peer recognition activity

• Team engagement scores

• Feedback on coaching effectiveness

Final Thoughts

Motivating a sales team in 2026 means going beyond inspiration—it means activation. By applying the findings of The JOLT Effect and The Activator Advantage, leaders can help their teams build confidence, momentum, and purpose.

Need help planning your kickoff or booking a keynote with Matt Dixon or Ted McKenna?
👉 Contact The Kirkpatrick Agency to bring their Activator Keynote and research insights to your 2026 sales event.