When creating incentive plans, ask your sales people to identify what really motivates them

As a Sales Manager, are you spending a lot of cycles trying to identify the best compensation plan, the right incentives, the most motivating sales contests?  In his article, ‘Stimulate Your Staff With Questions’, Keith Rosen, The Executive Sales Coach TM, recommends that sales managers ask their sales reps to identify what motivates them.

Here are his suggested questions:

• What do you want in your career that you don’t currently have?
• What do you want to be doing that you aren’t currently doing?
• What are you doing now that you don’t want to be doing?
• What areas do you want to strengthen, improve, or develop?
• What is most important to you in your life/career? What does a successful career/life look like?
• What is the legacy you want to leave behind when you are gone?
• What are the three most important things you would like to accomplish right now?
• What is your plan of action to achieve those goals?
• What do you need that is missing and which prevents you from reaching these goals?
• How can I best support you to achieve these goals? (Uncover how each employee wants to be managed and supported.)

Outside motivators are good, internal motivation is better.