The word motivation comes from the root word motive. Webster's New World Dictionary defines motive as some inner drive, impulse, intention, etc. that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way; incentive; goal.

If motivation is centered on an inner drive that causes a person to do something, why do some sales people have it and some do not? I think the answer is complex and no one person has the answer. If they did, they would retire rich, selling the secret on infomercials!

I have found that sales people motivate themselves in many ways. Some have inner drives, centered on a life philosophy or life desire. Other people's motivations are external; money, fame, material items, etc. In either case, brick walls we build as impediments to success can squelch that inner drive or impulse that causes a person to act in a certain way.

These brick walls can be negative thoughts or actions. They can be the people we associate with, the types of books we read (or not read), and the TV and video programs we view. I've spoken to many sales reps that are "in a slump." It is amazing how many excuses I hear that are external. It is always somebody else, the company, the products, the market, the weather…anything to blame.

When digging a bit further, the bricks that have been laid over time are mostly self-induced. We place these bricks together in a way to form a gigantic brick wall, right in front of us. This brick wall is what is preventing us from getting out of the sales slump. It prevents us from working hard on the mechanics of selling. It stops us from improving, allowing us to consider ourselves at the top of our game, only to be shaken when the competition takes our deal based on the brick wall of overconfidence we've built.

If you can see the brick wall, you are ready to dismantle it, brick by brick. In the great game of sales, my advice is to return to the basics. Re-read the classics from Zig Ziglar, Covey, Hopkins, and Tracy. Stop hanging around the whiners and complainers and seek out the winners and encouragers. Understand the sales cycle of your company and your product. Know it better than the competition. Go back and build those relationships rapport by rapport instead of using them to get the next sale.

Once you begin tearing down the wall, that inner source of energy that causes you to do something great will return. You will be motivated by the right desires, the right goals. You'll be back on track closing deals and reaching your goals.

If you find yourself slumping or soaring, drop me a line at tueffert@aol.com. I'd love to know how you are doing.