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Motivating the Sales

Personnel
Objectives

Define motivation;

Understand the complexity of motivation;

Explain the main theories of motivation;

Understand the impact of cultural differences on motivation;

Explain various tools available for motivating the global


sales force; and

Discuss the relationship between motivation and job


satisfaction.
What is motivation?

Motivation is the inner force that guides behaviour and is


concerned with the causation of specific actions.

Motivation is a three-dimensional construct consisting of the


following:

Intensity or the magnitude of mental activity and physical


effort expended towards a certain action;
Persistence or the extension of the mental activity and
physical effort over time; and
Direction or the choice of specific actions in specific
circumstances.
Understanding motivation

Motivation should be understood at two levels:

What motivates salespeople How salespeople choose their action


(the reasons behind the intensity (the direction or decision to engage in
and persistence of mental and specific actions in specific
physical effort expended) circumstances)
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“what” motivates salespeople

Need Hierarchy Theory


Self-actualisation
needs
Esteem needs

Belongingness needs

Security needs

Physiological needs

Physiological needs (e.g., basic salary); security needs (e.g., pension plan); belongingness
needs (e.g., friends in work group); esteem needs (e.g., job title); self actualisation needs
(e.g., challenging job).
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“what motivates salespeople”

wo Factor Theory

otivation factors (e.g., achievement, recognition, responsibility)


ygiene factors (e.g., supervision, pay, job security, working
conditions)

he theory argues that:

he motivation factors or motivators are the primary causes of


otivation and address the question “why work harder”;

he hygiene factors are necessary conditions to achieve a state of


eutrality and address the question “why work here”.
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“what motivates salespeople”

ERG Theory
Existence (E) Relatedness (R) and Growth (G) needs are
structured in a hierarchical order. The theory postulates
that:

a) The lower the level of satisfaction in a need the more it will


be desired;
b) The higher the satisfaction in a lower level need, the
greater the desire to satisfy a higher level need; and
c) The lower the satisfaction in a higher level need the
greater the desire for satisfying lower level needs.
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“how do salespeople choose their actions?”

Equity Theory

Equity (inequity) is defined as the belief that one is treated fairly


(unfairly) in relation to others.

A salesperson’s choice of effort to be expended is a result of a


comparison between his output-input ratio and the output-input ratio
of others.
Output of A (e.g., pay, recognition) Output of B (e.g., pay, recognition)
Input of A (e.g., effort, loyalty) Input of A (e.g., effort, loyalty)

A salesperson who perceives to be inequitably treated can change


his input, output, alter the perceptions of self and/or others, change
comparisons or leave the situation.
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“how do salespeople choose their actions?”

Expectancy Theory

Motivation is a function of a salesperson’s anticipation that a particular


behaviour will lead to outcomes that s/he values.

Motivation = functionof (Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence)

Expectancy is the salesperson’s perception that a certain amount of


effort will lead to successful performance (e.g., Can I do it?)
Instrumentality refers to salesperson’s perception of the probability that
performance will lead to certain outcomes or rewards
(e.g., What do I get for doing it?)
Valence is the perceived attractiveness or unattractiveness of an
outcome or reward (e.g., How much do I value the reward?)
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“how do salespeople choose their actions?”

Attribution Theory

Attribution theory is concerned with the “why” question.

Since different behaviours can be attributed to different factors


salespeople try to attribute success or failure as the outcome of their
behaviour to some causes by posing the question “why did this happen?”

Taxonomy of causes:

Locus of control dimension (causes that are within [internal] or


outside [external] the individual);
Stability dimension (causes that are stable or unstable)
Control dimension (causes that are controllable or uncontrollable)
Motivational theories addressing the issue:
“how do salespeople choose their actions?”

Goal Setting Theory

Motivated behaviour is the result of conscious goals and intentions.

The theory starts from the point that a salesperson has determined to
engage in an activity and argues that a person’s inclination to act in
a particular way is influenced by the:

• Anticipated result (goal);


• Intention (will), which implies:
• Effort (will-act); and
• Strategy to reach the goal (object oriented content).

Goal difficulty and goal specificity are two important aspects that
shape performance.
Motivational theories offering alternative explanations

Reinforcement Theory

The theory suggests that behaviour is a function of its consequences


and explains how the consequences of past action influence future
action in a cyclical manner.

For example, if a particular behaviour leads to a rewarding


consequence the same behaviour is likely to be repeated.

Stimulus Response Consequence

The stimulus triggers a response (behaviour) and the consequences


of that response (behaviour) determine whether the same response
(behaviour) will or will not be repeated.
Motivating the Global Sales Force

Salespeople are motivated by different needs.

Need for status (e.g., need for recognition and promotion)

Need for control (e.g., need to be in control and influence others)

Need for respect (e.g., need to be seen as experts who can give advice)

Need for routine (e.g., need to follow a routine that must not be interrupted)

Need for accomplishment (e.g., need more money and challenges)

Need for stimulation (e.g., need to seek outside stimulation and challenges)

Need for honesty (e.g.,need to believe in the rightness of their practices)

(Smyth and Murphy, 1969)


Motivating the Global Sales Force

otivational tools

otivational tools should satisfy at least two criteria.


Should generate extra effort that will help the company to achieve
its objectives , and
Must increase job satisfaction among salespeople.

otivational tools include, but are not limited to:


ales meetings;
centive programs (e.g., sales contests and competitions)
ecognition programs (e.g., praise, promotion, extra responsibilities)
Motivating the Global Sales Force

Motivation, job satisfaction, and performance

Job satisfaction refers to all characteristics of the job itself and the
work environment which salespeople find rewarding, fulfilling, and
satisfying.

Job satisfaction can be felt by anticipating a desired outcome, or


by accomplishing a certain level of performance and/or receiving a
reward.

Job satisfaction, motivation and performance are closely related.


It is important to remember that global salespeople may be satisfied
by different outcomes and rewards.
CONCLUSION:

Motivation is an inner force that drives and directs behaviour.

Motivation theories answer questions pertaining to what motivates


salespeople and how salespeople choose their actions.

The three groupings of motivational theories are:


Content, Process and Reinforcement.

Culture influences motivation through its influence on salespeople’s


values, attitudes and norms.

Sales managers have a range of motivational tools at their disposal.


Cultural differences among salespeople should be taken into
consideration when designing a motivational program.

Motivation, job satisfaction and performance are inextricably


related.
THANK YOU !

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