Fighting Demotivation: How To Motivate Your Sales Team (When Sales Are Down)

As a sales manager or business owner, one of your biggest challenges is keeping your sales team motivated, especially when sales are not meeting expectations. Here’s how you can turn things around and keep your team firing on all cylinders.

Recognize the Signs of Demotivation

When sales are down, it’s easy for morale to dip. You might notice signs like lower performance, longer sales cycles, increased negativity, lack of punctuality, or unusual absenteeism. These indicators signal that your team may be feeling demotivated and needs your attention.

Addressing the Motivation Challenge

Sales can be tough. Rejection is a part of the job, and it takes courage to keep pushing forward. If your team starts feeling down, their performance could spiral, affecting team targets and even leading to talent leaving your company. To prevent this, you need strategies to uplift and motivate your team.

Strategies to Motivate Your Sales Team
  • Provide Recognition: Acknowledging good performance is crucial. Celebrate not just big wins but also small achievements. For example, publicly praise a salesperson who lands their first client or meets a challenging target. This recognition boosts morale and encourages others to strive for success.
  • Give Work Deeper Meaning: Help your team connect emotionally with their work. Understand their aspirations and align them with the company’s goals. When employees see how their efforts contribute to something meaningful, they’re more likely to stay motivated during tough times.
  • Emphasize Collaboration: While sales can be competitive, fostering a collaborative environment is essential. Encourage team members to support each other and work towards common goals. Collaboration fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens team spirit, making everyone feel invested in the team’s success.
  • Use Hard Data: When sales are down, it’s tempting to speculate about the reasons. Instead, rely on hard data to pinpoint areas needing improvement. Analyze metrics like lead generation, sales conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs to identify where adjustments are needed. This approach helps in making informed decisions and rallying the team around concrete goals.
  • Adjust Compensation Plans: Ensure your compensation plans are motivating. Consider offering tiered incentives that recognize different levels of achievement. This not only rewards stellar performance but also provides a clear path for career progression, keeping your team engaged and focused on achieving targets.
  • Automate Mundane Tasks: Salespeople thrive on engaging with prospects and closing deals, not on administrative tasks. Automate routine activities like data entry and report generation to free up their time for more productive sales activities. This shows that you value their efforts and want them focused on what they do best.
Tips for Effective Team Management
  • Understand Individual Motivations: Every team member is unique. Take the time to understand what drives each person and tailor your motivational strategies accordingly.
  • Keep Goals Visible: Make sales targets visible to the team. Use a board or digital dashboard to track progress and celebrate milestones. This keeps everyone focused and motivated to achieve their individual and team goals.
  • Provide Regular Feedback: Establish a culture of constructive feedback. Regularly discuss performance with team members, offering praise for achievements and guidance for improvement. This continuous feedback loop fosters growth and keeps morale high.
The Takeaway

Motivating your sales team during a downturn requires proactive leadership and a genuine understanding of what drives individual team members. By recognizing achievements, fostering collaboration, using data-driven insights, and adjusting compensation plans, you can create an environment where your team feels valued and motivated to succeed. Implement these strategies to keep morale high and ensure your sales team stays engaged even during challenging times.

Maximize Sales Efficiency and Motivation with Goals.com

Goals.com is an effective tool that can significantly help businesses and sales managers motivate their sales teams, especially during periods of low sales. Here’s how Goals.com supports this effort:

Aligning Sales Goals
Goals.com ensures that all team members are on the same page regarding sales objectives. It allows businesses to set clear team-wide and individual sales goals. This alignment helps maintain focus and direction even when faced with challenges like a sales downturn.

Managing Leads and Customer Data
The platform enables sales managers to efficiently assign leads to team members and track their progress through the sales pipeline. It also provides tools to manage customer contacts, store important information like proposals and purchase history, and set reminders, ensuring that no opportunity is missed.

Performance Tracking and Insights
With Goals.com’s performance dashboard, sales managers can easily monitor team and individual performance in real-time. This visibility into sales goals and current performance helps identify areas needing improvement and allows for timely adjustments to strategies.

Enhancing Communication
Team communication is streamlined with Goals.com’s integrated chat feature. This facilitates collaboration among team members, ensuring everyone is informed and engaged in achieving sales targets.

Daily Motivation and Engagement
The platform includes a Daily Pace Setter feature that kick-starts each day for sales associates with a summary of their performance relative to their goals. This daily reminder helps keep team members motivated and focused on their objectives.

Boosting Morale with Contests and Recognition
Goals.com makes it easy to launch sales contests to spark friendly competition and increase sales activity. Additionally, peer-to-peer recognition features promote a positive work environment by celebrating achievements and milestones such as birthdays and work anniversaries.

Incentivizing Performance
To further motivate the team, Goals.com supports automated commission tracking and performance bonuses. These incentives reward sales associates for exceeding goals, encouraging continued high performance.

Automated Reporting
The platform simplifies reporting with automated sales reports on monthly, quarterly, and annual performance. This saves time for sales leaders and provides comprehensive insights for strategic decision-making.

In summary, Goals.com not only helps businesses manage sales processes efficiently but also plays a crucial role in maintaining high team morale and motivation, even during challenging times. By aligning goals, providing clear performance insights, fostering communication, and offering incentives and recognition, Goals.com empowers sales teams to stay focused, productive, and engaged in achieving success.

9 Key Tips for Leading Your Remote Sales Team

Managing a remote sales team can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can lead your team to success. Here are some effective methods to manage your remote sales team and ensure they stay motivated, engaged, and productive.

#1 Set Up Weekly Team Meetings

Weekly meetings help your team stay engaged and aligned with the company’s goals and strategies. Here’s how you can make the most of these meetings:

  • Share Updates: Use the meetings to provide updates on sales forecasts, strategies, and any changes that might affect the sales pipeline.
  • Brainstorm Ideas: Encourage team members to share ideas and brainstorm ways to improve sales processes.
  • Foster Connections: Regular meetings help team members get to know each other better and build stronger working relationships.

For example, if your team is working on a new sales strategy, a weekly meeting is the perfect time to discuss progress and address any challenges. By keeping everyone informed and involved, you can ensure that your team remains motivated and focused.

#2 Establish Achievable Goals

Setting realistic and achievable goals is vital for keeping your team motivated and productive. When goals are too high, it can lead to frustration and burnout. Here’s how you can set achievable goals:

  • Be Realistic: Make sure the goals are challenging but attainable. This will keep your team motivated to reach them.
  • Prioritize: Help your team prioritize their tasks to meet their goals effectively.
  • Encourage Progress: Celebrate small wins and milestones to keep the team motivated.

For example, instead of setting a vague goal like “increase sales,” set a specific target such as “increase sales by 10% over the next quarter.” This gives your team a clear objective to work towards and makes it easier to measure their progress.

#3 Create a Company Culture that Celebrates Daily Wins

A positive company culture that celebrates daily wins can boost morale and motivation. Recognize and reward your team’s achievements regularly to show that their efforts are valued. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Celebrate Successes: Acknowledge individual and team achievements publicly. This could be through emails, team meetings, or company newsletters.
  • Offer Incentives: Provide bonuses, raises, or other incentives for reaching and exceeding goals.
  • Give Positive Feedback: Regularly give positive feedback to show appreciation for your team’s hard work.

For instance, if a team member closes a significant deal, celebrate their success in the next team meeting. This not only motivates the individual but also encourages others to strive for similar achievements.

#4 Focus on Building Trust in Your Remote Employees

Building trust with your remote team is essential. Without daily face-to-face interactions, it’s important to establish clear expectations and show that you trust your team. Here’s how you can build trust:

  • Set Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate your expectations regarding work hours, goals, and communication methods.
  • Be Available: Let your team know they can reach out to you with any issues or questions without feeling micromanaged.
  • Show Support: Show that you care about their well-being and are there to support them.

For example, during the onboarding process, explain what is expected from the new hires and how they can succeed in their roles. Regular check-ins can also help reinforce trust and show that you are there to support them.

#5 Reinvent Your Sales Processes to Adjust What’s Not Working

It’s important to continuously evaluate and adjust your sales processes to ensure they are effective. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Review Performance: Regularly review your team’s performance to identify areas that need improvement.
  • Make Small Adjustments: Start with small changes to test what works and what doesn’t.
  • Ask for Feedback: Involve your team in the process and ask for their feedback on what can be improved.

For example, if you notice that a particular sales strategy isn’t yielding the desired results, discuss it with your team during a meeting. Brainstorm new approaches and implement small changes to see if they make a difference.

#6 Set Up Time to Spend with Individual Team Members

Remote work can be isolating, so it’s important to make an effort to connect with each team member individually. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Schedule One-on-One Meetings: Regularly schedule one-on-one meetings with each team member to discuss their progress and any concerns.
  • Use Various Communication Tools: Use video calls, phone calls, or instant messaging to stay connected.
  • Show Genuine Interest: Show genuine interest in their well-being and professional development.

For instance, if a team member is struggling with a particular task, a one-on-one meeting can provide an opportunity to offer guidance and support. This helps build stronger relationships and ensures that your team members feel valued and supported.

#7 Make Sure Accountability is the Same Across the Entire Team

Accountability is crucial for maintaining high performance within your team. Here’s how you can ensure accountability:

  • Set Clear Goals: Clearly define the goals and expectations for each team member.
  • Monitor Progress: Regularly monitor and review each team member’s progress towards their goals.
  • Address Issues: Address any issues or underperformance promptly and fairly.

For example, if a team member consistently misses their targets, have a conversation with them to understand the challenges they are facing and provide the necessary support to help them improve.

#8 Ask Your Remote Sales Reps for Feedback

Feedback from your team is invaluable for making improvements and ensuring everyone is satisfied with the work environment. Here’s how you can gather feedback:

  • Conduct Surveys: Use anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback from your team.
  • Hold Feedback Sessions: Schedule regular feedback sessions to discuss any concerns or suggestions.
  • Act on Feedback: Show that you value their feedback by implementing changes based on their suggestions.

For example, if several team members express that they find the current sales tools inefficient, consider exploring new tools or software that can streamline their work processes.

#9 Identify What is Considered “Good” Sales Performance

Clearly define what constitutes good sales performance to help your team understand what they need to achieve. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Use Metrics: Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure sales performance, such as conversion rates, sales revenue, and customer acquisition.
  • Set Benchmarks: Set benchmarks for what is considered good performance and communicate these to your team.
  • Provide Training: Offer training and support to help your team meet these benchmarks.

For instance, if your team’s goal is to increase conversion rates, provide training on effective sales techniques and regularly review their progress to ensure they are on track.

Benefits of Having a Remote Sales Team

 

Cuts Costs

Having a remote sales team can significantly reduce costs. Here’s how:

  • No Office Space Needed: You won’t need to pay for office space or utilities.
  • Reduced Travel Expenses: Sales activities can be conducted online, reducing the need for travel.

For example, instead of holding in-person sales meetings, your team can conduct virtual meetings, saving on travel and accommodation costs.

Empowers Your Sales Team

Remote work can empower your sales team by providing them with flexibility and autonomy. Here’s how:

  • Flexible Work Hours: Allow your team to work flexible hours that suit their schedules.
  • Global Reach: Remote work enables your team to reach customers globally.

For instance, a remote sales rep can work from anywhere and reach out to customers in different time zones, increasing their opportunities to close deals.

Provides Access to Top Talent

Hiring remotely allows you to access top talent from around the world. Here’s how:

  • Wider Talent Pool: You can hire the best candidates regardless of their location.
  • Competitive Benefits: Offer competitive benefits to attract and retain top talent.

For example, offering comprehensive benefits packages, including health insurance and paid time off, can help attract highly skilled sales professionals to your team.

Managing a remote sales team requires effective communication, trust-building, and regular evaluation of your sales processes. By setting achievable goals, celebrating wins, and staying connected with your team, you can ensure that your remote sales team remains motivated and productive. Use these strategies to improve your remote sales team management, foster good communication, and ultimately boost your company’s revenues.

How Goals.com Can Help You Manage Your Remote Sales Team

Goals.com is an easy-to-use CRM that can significantly improve the management of your remote sales team. With its comprehensive features, Goals.com can help you drive sales performance, keep your team aligned, and boost morale. Here’s how:

Sales Goals and Lead Management

With Goals.com, you can ensure all team members remain aligned on both team-wide and individual sales goals. The platform allows you to set and track these goals easily, ensuring everyone knows what they need to achieve. You can also assign leads to sales associates and track prospects as they move through the sales pipeline. This streamlined process helps maintain focus and ensures that no potential sales opportunities are missed.

Customer Data and Performance Dashboard

Managing customer data is crucial for any sales team. Goals.com helps you keep track of customer contacts, set reminders, and save notes, proposals, and purchase histories. This centralization of information makes it easier for your team to manage their relationships with clients. The performance dashboard keeps sales goals, current performance, and actionable insights clearly in focus, enabling your team to stay on top of their targets.

Team Communication and Daily Pace Setter

Communication is key for remote teams, and Goals.com’s team chat feature allows for seamless communication right within the app. This ensures that your team stays connected and informed. Additionally, the Daily Pace Setter feature sends an email to sales associates every morning, summarizing their current performance relative to their goals. This daily reminder keeps everyone motivated and focused on their tasks.

Sales Contests and Performance Bonuses

To keep your team engaged and motivated, Goals.com allows you to launch sales contests quickly. These contests can boost sales activity by making the sales process more exciting. Moreover, you can offer performance bonuses to motivate your team to exceed their sales goals. Personalized bonus programs can further incentivize individual team members to perform their best.

Automated Sales Reports and Commission Tracking

Goals.com provides automated monthly, quarterly, and annual sales reports, saving you time and ensuring accuracy. These reports give you a clear overview of your team’s performance and help in making informed decisions. Additionally, the automated real-time commission tracking feature simplifies the process of tracking and managing commissions, ensuring that your team is rewarded accurately and on time.

Peer-to-Peer Recognition and Celebrations

Building a positive work experience is essential for maintaining a motivated team. Goals.com includes a peer-to-peer recognition feature that allows team members to acknowledge each other’s great work. This fosters a supportive and collaborative team environment. The platform also helps you celebrate colleagues’ birthdays and work anniversaries with thoughtful expressions of appreciation, further boosting team morale.

Conclusion

Using Goals.com, you can effectively manage your remote sales team by setting and tracking goals, managing leads, maintaining customer data, and keeping communication streamlined. The platform’s features, such as sales contests, performance bonuses, and automated reports, ensure that your team remains motivated and productive. With Goals.com, you can create a positive and efficient work environment that drives sales success.

12 Benefits of Real-Time Sales Performance Tracking

By tracking your company’s sales team performance in real time, you unlock numerous benefits that drive business growth and success. Here’s how closely monitoring sales performance can make a difference:

    • Improved Accountability: When you track sales performance in real time, each team member knows they are responsible for their results. This accountability encourages everyone to stay focused and motivated.
    • Identifying Trends Quickly: By monitoring sales data as it happens, you can spot trends and patterns sooner. This helps you understand what’s working well and where improvements are needed.
    • Immediate Feedback: Real-time tracking allows you to provide timely feedback to your sales team. Whether it’s positive reinforcement or constructive criticism, giving feedback right away helps them adjust their approach quickly.
    • Adjusting Strategies: When you see sales performance in real time, you can make adjustments to your strategies promptly. This agility is crucial in responding to market changes or unexpected challenges.
    • Goal Achievement: Real-time tracking helps you and your team stay on track towards achieving your sales goals. It’s easier to measure progress and make necessary course corrections along the way.
    • Motivation Boost: Seeing their progress in real time can be highly motivating for salespeople. It gives them a clear sense of accomplishment and encourages them to keep pushing towards their targets.
    • Optimizing Resources: By knowing which strategies and efforts are yielding the best results, you can allocate resources more effectively. This might mean investing more in successful campaigns or reallocating efforts from less effective ones.
    • Improved Customer Service: Real-time tracking can also benefit your customers. With better insights into sales data, you can anticipate their needs more accurately and provide more personalized service.
    • Competitive Advantage: Keeping a close watch on sales performance gives you a competitive edge. You can respond faster to market changes than competitors who may rely on slower, less immediate data analysis.
    • Enhanced Team Collaboration: Real-time tracking fosters teamwork and collaboration. When everyone can see the same data at the same time, it promotes transparency and encourages team members to support each other.
    • Risk Mitigation: Identifying issues early through real-time tracking allows you to mitigate risks before they escalate. Whether it’s a sudden drop in sales or a shift in customer preferences, you can address potential problems proactively.
    • Data-Driven Decisions: Real-time sales data provides a solid foundation for making informed decisions. Instead of relying on guesswork or outdated information, you can base your strategies on current, accurate data.

Tracking your sales team’s performance in real time offers numerous advantages that contribute to your company’s success. From enhancing accountability and motivation to enabling quick adjustments and informed decisions, real-time tracking empowers you to optimize performance and achieve your business goals more effectively. By leveraging the power of real-time data, you can steer your sales team towards greater productivity, efficiency, and profitability.

Boost Sales Effectiveness with Goals.com
Tracking your sales team’s performance in real time is crucial for staying competitive and achieving sustainable growth. Goals.com offers powerful tools designed to streamline this process, empowering you to lead your team more effectively and drive results. Here’s how Goals.com can benefit you as a sales manager or business owner.

Streamlined Goal Setting and Alignment
Goals.com simplifies the process of setting and aligning sales goals across your team. You can easily establish both team-wide objectives and individual targets, ensuring everyone knows what they are working towards. This clarity fosters a sense of purpose and direction among your team members, driving motivation and focus.

Enhanced Performance Monitoring and Accountability
With Goals.com’s performance dashboard, you gain real-time visibility into your team’s progress. Track key metrics such as sales goals, current performance, and actionable insights at a glance. This transparency promotes accountability as team members can see their performance relative to their goals, encouraging proactive adjustments and continuous improvement.

Efficient Team Communication and Collaboration
Communication is key to effective teamwork, and Goals.com facilitates seamless interaction among team members. Utilize the built-in team chat feature to discuss strategies, share updates, and provide support—all within the same platform where performance metrics are monitored. This integration enhances coordination and ensures everyone stays informed and engaged.

Motivation Through Contests and Incentives
Engage your sales team and boost productivity with Goals.com’s sales contests and performance incentives. Launch contests effortlessly to stimulate healthy competition and drive sales activity. Whether it’s team-wide bonuses or personalized rewards based on individual achievements, Goals.com makes it easy to motivate your team and celebrate their successes.

Automated Insights and Reporting
Save time and gain valuable insights with Goals.com’s automated sales reports and commission tracking. Receive regular updates on monthly, quarterly, and annual performance trends without manual effort. This data-driven approach enables you to make informed decisions swiftly, optimizing resource allocation and strategy adjustments as needed.

Foster a Positive Work Environment
Recognize and celebrate your team’s achievements with Goals.com’s peer-to-peer recognition feature. Acknowledge outstanding performance and milestones such as birthdays and work anniversaries, fostering a positive work culture and strengthening team morale. These thoughtful gestures contribute to a supportive environment where individuals feel valued and motivated to excel.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Goals.com empowers sales managers and business owners like you to track and optimize your sales team’s performance effectively. From setting clear goals and monitoring progress in real time to fostering collaboration and celebrating successes, Goals.com provides the tools you need to drive growth and achieve sustainable success in today’s competitive market.

By leveraging Goals.com’s features, you not only enhance decision-making and accountability but also cultivate a motivated and cohesive team. Embrace the power of real-time performance tracking with Goals.com and watch your sales team thrive as you achieve your business objectives with confidence. Start your journey towards greater productivity and profitability today with Goals.com.

How Sales Leaders Can Motivate Their Sales Teams to Grow

Sales leaders play a critical role in the success of their teams. Motivation is key to driving productivity and achieving organizational goals. Here we’ll explore five effective strategies sales leaders can implement to boost motivation and foster growth.

Motivation is crucial for sales teams because it directly impacts productivity and overall performance. Without motivation, businesses may experience decreased output and fail to achieve important objectives. Low motivation can lead to wasted resources and hinder the organization’s ability to deliver high-quality work. As a sales leader, it’s important to address any issues related to motivation to ensure the team’s success.

What to Expect from a Motivated Sales Team

A motivated sales team will have higher levels of productivity and innovation. Motivated employees are more likely to work harder and contribute ideas for improvements. In addition, motivated teams experience lower absenteeism rates and higher staff retention, as employees are satisfied with their jobs and see the value in their work.

A screenshot of the Goals.com dashboard page

Goals.com’s simple dashboard allows sales leaders to assess team performance in a snap.

 

5 Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team

  • Get to know your team: Understanding each team member’s motivations is essential for effective leadership. By using a data-driven approach, sales leaders can identify what motivates their team members and tailor their strategies accordingly.
  • Give what they do a deeper meaning: Helping salespeople understand the purpose and impact of their work can increase motivation and dedication. By aligning individual roles with the organization’s goals and values, sales leaders can inspire passion and drive in their teams.
  • Celebrate the small wins along the way: Recognizing and celebrating achievements, no matter how small, boosts morale and motivates team members to continue working towards larger goals. Whether it’s advancing a suspect to a prospect or closing a stage of the sales process, acknowledging these accomplishments fosters a positive work environment.
  • Support them through the hard times: Salespeople often face rejection and pressure in their roles. Providing support and guidance during difficult times is crucial for maintaining motivation. Sales leaders should acknowledge mistakes, offer constructive feedback, and encourage their teams to persevere.
  • Empower, enable, encourage: Investing in coaching, training, and technology enables sales teams to develop their skills and adapt to evolving market trends. Sales leaders should seek feedback from their teams, empower them to take risks, and encourage continuous learning and development.

Motivating a sales team is essential for driving growth and achieving success. By understanding the importance of motivation and implementing strategies to inspire and support their teams, sales leaders can create a positive and productive work environment that fosters growth and success.

Motivating Sales Teams with Goals.com

Sales teams play a vital role in the success of a business. To keep the team motivated and productive, sales leaders need effective tools. Goals.com is a powerful CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform designed to drive sales performance through various features like goal setting, tracking, incentives, and more.

    • Setting Clear Sales Goals: One of the key features of Goals.com is its ability to set clear sales goals. This ensures that all team members are aligned on both team-wide and individual objectives. When everyone knows what they’re working towards, it creates a sense of purpose and direction.
    • Managing Leads and Customer Data: Goals.com allows sales leaders to efficiently manage leads by assigning them to sales associates and tracking their progress through the sales pipeline. Additionally, the platform enables the management of customer contacts, reminders, notes, proposals, and purchase history. This organized approach helps sales teams stay on top of their prospects and customers, leading to better conversion rates.
    • Performance Tracking and Dashboards: With Goals.com’s performance dashboard, sales goals and current performance are always in focus. This visual representation of progress provides actionable insights, helping sales teams identify areas for improvement and celebrate successes. Clear visibility into performance metrics fosters accountability and drives continuous improvement.
    • Facilitating Communication: Effective communication is essential for any successful sales team. Goals.com offers a built-in team chat feature, allowing team members to communicate directly within the app. This eliminates the need for separate communication tools and promotes collaboration and teamwork.
  • Daily Performance Summaries: Each day, sales associates receive an email summarizing their current performance relative to their goals. This daily pacesetter keeps team members informed and motivated to stay on track and strive for excellence.
  • Engagement through Contests and Bonuses: Goals.com makes it easy to launch sales contests and incentive programs to engage the team and boost sales activity. Sales leaders can also offer performance bonuses to motivate team members to exceed their sales goals. These incentives create healthy competition and drive performance.
  • Automated Reporting and Commission Tracking: Goals.com streamlines administrative tasks by providing automated sales reports on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Additionally, the platform offers real-time commission tracking, saving time and ensuring accuracy in compensation calculations.
  • Fostering a Positive Work Environment: Recognizing and celebrating team members’ achievements is essential for maintaining morale and motivation. Goals.com facilitates peer-to-peer recognition, allowing colleagues to acknowledge each other’s contributions. The platform enables the celebration of birthdays and work anniversaries, creating a sense of appreciation and camaraderie among team members.

A screenshot of the Goals.com highlight feature.

Goals.com makes it easy to recognize team members for their successes.

 

Goals.com offers sales leaders a comprehensive solution to motivate and empower their sales teams to grow. By leveraging its features such as goal setting, performance tracking, communication tools, and incentives, sales leaders can drive productivity, collaboration, and success within their teams. Goals.com isn’t just a CRM; it’s a powerful tool for cultivating a high-performing sales culture.

If you’re ready to boost your sales team’s performance and drive growth, contact Goals.com today to get started!