Motivation in the Workplace

In business, it seems that few things motivate people to accomplish more than greed. If I do A and B, then maybe I can work a raise out of the deal. All of us have thought like this at one time or another. Or, if I fail to get this done, maybe I will get fired. Living well and having as much money as possible are two of the greatest motivations we will ever know throughout the course of our lives.

Motivation in Sales and Marketing

Motivation in the sales or marketing workplace is not significantly different in concept. Start by building a bonus system where the top sales person gets the top bonus, and on down the scale until at some point, there is no bonus. This may turn the work environment into a "dog eats dog" atmosphere, but it guarantees results. You can give a bonus for projects completed in 3-days verses the normal 5- day work week, or a certificate of achievement reward for the number of sales they've made in a month. The reward doesn't even have to be something expensive in order for the concept to work - just coveted.

Pay Per Performance Motivation

Pay per performance can be a far more powerful motivation factor. On top of the annual raise, profits are set aside and given out to employees in proportion to their annual contribution to company performance. Yearly salary increases, end of the year bonuses, and other such incentives will practically motivate employees to walk on water but for those who like performing to superior levels and being rewarded for doing so, the results are undeniable.

Gauge Accordingly

There will always be employees who do not possess the ability to perform at elevated levels every day. It is wise to assess the incentive program and how it affects workers. If, for example, you were to offer $100 to anyone with perfect attendence for a month, you will no doubt see a lot more people in the office than you are used to.

Even the little things will surprise you at how effective they can be. Showing some empathy and compassion for people is vital but can also be very motivating. A great deal is said about your ethics and management style by the way you communicate with people.

I like it best when I am told what needs to be done and left to my own devices to see it through to completion. Unless I said something to him, my boss would leave me alone to do my work. But, if I shot him an e-mail stating that I needed to talk to him, you can bet he was giving me a call within an hour because he knew I was not the type to just talk to people about things unrelated to work.

In less than a year, we built a "solid" relationship. He knew if I didn't contact him, I was on track, ahead of schedule, or on schedule and moving forward. He respected my judgment and he recognized that if a note appeared "Must talk TODAY" that I didn't just want to know how his wife and kids were doing. I always went over and above for my boss. It didn't take me long to obtain the aforementioned bonuses to prove it!

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