Motivation on the Run

Dave Kahle give some great insight to the problem of managers not giving praise more often to their people. The 80/20 rule is probably correct when separating the fully self-motivated and those that need a little nudge. This would match with my personal experience, also.

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Yet, for some reason, many managers are curiously parsimonious with appreciation for their salespeople’s efforts, doling out words of praise as if they think they might soon run out. The reason, Kahle says, is not that managers are unappreciative or unobservant - it’s because they don’t realize that many salespeople need to hear that they’re doing well. “In the universe of salespeople,” Kahle explains, “somewhere between five and twenty percent are highly motivated, internally driven, very professional salespeople. They essentially manage and motivate themselves. The remaining 80 percent, frankly, do not. These salespeople hunger for and respond positively to praise and encouragement. Yet typically, sales managers come from the ranks of the highly motivated, self-managed salespeople. So they have a tendency to view the world of other salespeople as being like themselves. But the fact is most salespeople don’t have that motivation or drive. They need praise and recognition.”