Money, Recognition, Challenge, and Enjoyment: A Response Surface Approach to Salesperson Motivation

Purpose:
Research on salesperson motivation has historically emphasized extrinsic over intrinsic motivation, often assuming these cannot co-exist. However, research in psychology suggests that certain types of motivational orientations, when combined, can enhance work outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the interplay and balance between cognitive and affective orientations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may influence salesperson performance and work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach:
Data is collected from a cross-sectional sample of professional salespeople. Using polynomial regression with response surface analysis, this paper examines how combining and balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations affects salesperson performance and work engagement.

Findings:
Study findings reveal that combining salesperson intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations has a positive effect on performance and work engagement. Specifically, the highest levels of performance are achieved when salespeople’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations are balanced. Finally, results highlight the important role of challenge seeking (an intrinsic motivational orientation) in achieving the highest levels of performance and work engagement.

Originality:
To the best of our knowledge, no research to date has examined the effects of combining and balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations on the performance and work engagement of salespeople. This study expands the existing literature on salesperson motivation by utilizing polynomial regression with response surface analysis to explore the effect of combining and balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations on salesperson performance outcomes.