Motivating and rewarding the sales force

16th December 2017 |   Dr Javier Marcos and Monica Franco

In previous articles of this series in the International Journal of Sales Transformation, “Managing and Measuring Sales Performance” and “Setting Sales Targets”, we presented an outline of the properties of effective sales performance measurement systems guidelines to minimise the unintended consequences of sales targets. In this last article of the series, we address employee motivation and its relation to sales compensation.

Motivating the sales force is a critical component of sales force management, given its profound effect on people’s behaviour and sales performance. Here, we provide an overview of the motivation theories that are relevant to sales force compensation and management.

A (brief) outline of motivation theories applicable to sales

Motivation theories aim to understand people’s attitudes towards work and the behaviours they display when putting effort into accomplishing tasks. Key questions addressed by motivation theories are: Why do people work? Why do they put in the effort they do? Why do some people work harder than others? Why do individuals respond differently to motivation-related management practices?

Dr Javier Marcos

Director of Learning for Performance Ltd | + posts

Dr Javier Marcos is a Professor of Strategic Sales Management and Negotiation at Cranfield School of Management. Javier combines in unique ways corporate, consulting, and academic expertise to address transformational challenges in professional selling, key account management and strategic commercial negotiation. Javier has co-authored four books: The High Performing Key Account Manager (2025), Implementing Key Account Management (2018), Sales Management – Strategy, Processes and Practice (2016), and From Selling to Co-Creating (2014). His research has been published in academic journals such as the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, Management Learning, and Journal of Marketing Education. He has written numerous professional reports and articles in the professional media and is a regular speaker at conferences and industry events.

Senior Lecturer in Business Performance and Compensation at Cranfield School of Management | + posts

Monica Franco is a Reader in Organisational Governance at Cranfield School of Management. She specialises in the design, implementation, and use of performance measures, targets and rewards as well as the impact that these mechanisms have on behaviour and decision-making.