If You Pay a Sales Person Enough Money You Will Have a Well Motivated Sales Person.

Rewarding sales teams with money has long been thought as the primary career motivation for the sales people. In fact, this also continuously became a thought-provoking question to be sure, specifically with the sales person itself. Having to pay a salesperson enough money in order to attain a well-motivated salesperson is commonly possible. But however, in some cases, this perception of money-motivated could also be unreliable as it can't ensure sales teams to stay motivated for long-term. Money could be one of the best forms of motivation that a salesperson would desire best but it does not mean it applies to all salespeople. In the same way, motivation comes in different forms and that it is not necessary assuming a person will be motivated with just money. Different salespeople constitute different types of motivational needs based on their needs and goals to a certain task or job. High salaries, large commissions, incredible bonuses and other financial rewards may not always work to incentivize sales motivation and this is because sales people are not motivated only by money, they are certainly like others who are driven by accomplishment, self-actualization, challenges and recognition.

On the subject of this, American psychologist Abraham Maslow put it well through his "Hierarchy of Needs Theory". Maslow theorized that motivation stems from the desire to fulfill needs. He categorizes those needs into one of five levels in his hierarchy of needs: physiological, security, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow also embraces the concept that basic needs must first be satisfied before higher, unselfish goals can be pursued and achieved. With this concept in mind, financial compensation, though not strictly speaking, it is a physiological need for every individual. If a salesperson earns too little to afford adequate housing for his or her family, that individual will be motivated by financial needs more than prestige. To put it another way, sales people need money in order to fulfill vital needs for survival such as warmth, water, food and shelter. For this reason, financial compensation may have been one of the motivation drives, but it is also can be seen fairly quickly that financial compensation alone is not sufficient to explain the motivations at work in a sales workforce. Sales person in general has more needs than simply getting a financial security. It is true that money is part of the reward, certainly, but once they have a fair compensation plan in place, they will also be motivated primarily by higher needs. For instance, after physiological needs are fulfilled, one's attention will essentially turn to safety and security needs in order to be free from the threat of physical and emotional harm. In the world of work, this safety needs manifest themselves in such things as a preference for job security, insurance policies and other injury compensations. Salespeople will be well motivated when company wants to have responsibility and dedication in taking a good care of them. Together, the safety and physiological levels make up what is often referred to as the basic needs and therefore, both contribute largely in motivating employees to a greater extent.

Moreover, as we move up to the third level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the requirements start to become a bit more complex. At this level, the needs for social become primary. We come to see that salespeople need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. Social needs can be satisfied by having a friendly environment, providing a workplace conducive to collaboration and communication with others. Company picnics and other social get-togethers may also be helpful if the majority of salespeople itself are motivated primarily by social needs.

In a like manner, all individuals have a need to be respected, to have self-esteem, self-respect. Manager can help to motivate by providing the salespeople with positive feedback. Managers should be sure that they do not always criticize but that they, instead, are sure to point out when employees do good things. Likewise, a salesperson will be motivated when there is a sense of camaraderie in the workplace. If the manager can create a sense of teamwork, that sales person may feel he or she belongs and may be able to move to a higher level. Money is not a permanent constituent in motivating salespeople. Satisfaction of these esteem needs produces feelings of self-confidence, prestige, power and control. Employees begin to feel that they are useful and have some effect on their environment. Thus, recognition from a peer group is critical in motivating the sales people. There is one interesting proof of this from Dave Kurlan as he examined the data from 450,000 salespeople. The percentage of findings showing lack of money motivation, especially among higher income earners,