I was on a business trip sitting on the plane when I realized, I’m “living the dream”! How fantastic it was to have a road warrior position with freedom to travel, drive new rentals, eat at nice restaurants, flexible schedules, golfing, home office and of course the frequent flyer points!
I was in a meeting the other day and a long time friend and I were talking about a mutual acquaintance and fellow sales professional. I could tell my friend was genuinely impressed with this person. He asked me what I thought about her. I explained “while she is definitely a good solid salesperson she’s not a great salesperson in my eyes”. This came as a complete surprise to my colleague. He then asked “then what is a great salesperson to you?”
My experience with giving recognition using certificates, trophies, and gift cards, quite honestly, has been somewhat blasé. I’m never sure it has accomplished the goal that I had intended. Many times it was received with a lackluster thanks. Maybe I was at fault with my presentation… criteria used? What has been your experience?
We are all trying to stay motivated, motivating others, right? Training, meetings, one on ones, rewards, bonuses, spiffs and the list goes on. We even go to the negative with imposed pressure, tensions and ultimatums to motivate. How has that worked for you? Long-term? If you’re like me it didn’t. I needed to change something. Was it me or them? And then it hit me… everyone is already motivated.