It's an interesting idea shared by Seth Godin today:
Money, it's been shown time and time again, is a demotivator. I'm not talking about a fair or even generous salary. Being a cheapskate is no way to find a great employee. But once people have joined your team, incremental money--bonuses and the like--usually demotivate people. They demotivate because sooner or later, people feel as though they're being treated unfairly.
It struck me as being very, very true...
...especially among sales professionals.
Sales is one of the only things in the working world where you have a measure of control over what kind of income you enjoy. Bonuses, commissions...all of it can add up to a nice living.
But in nearly every sales department of nearly every company, the sales staff complains. What are they complaining about? Money. They were cheated out of a bonus...short-changed on their commission...on and on. I can picture five classic complainers that I've worked with over the years that cursed the company and their compensations system. It was almost a hobby of theirs...they didn't want to leave, but boy did they love to complain.
Great post, Seth. So much truth in those words.
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