Sales Team Motivation: CIA Insights

The OSS, a Pioneer in Motivation Theories

On June 13, 1942, the United States created the Office of Strategic Services, better known as the OSS, which would later become the CIA. American recruiting agents refined their methods to recruit and motivate spies to take immense risks, including death, in order to obtain information on the enemy. The CIA became the global center of expertise on behavioral motivation.

In this article series, we explore the mechanisms used by the CIA and draw concrete conclusions for direct application in sales team motivation.

If you ask an active intelligence officer, “What motivates spies?”, they will answer with four words: “Money, Ideology, Constraint and Ego” – MICE, and money (‘Money’) is the most significant motivator.

This article, the first in a series of four, is about Money.

 

Money Glitters Like Gold

 

In a study of 104 Americans who spied and were caught between 1947 and 1989, the vast majority admit to having acted primarily for money.

At the beginning of the Cold War, in 1953, Lieutenant Colonel Pyotr Popov sold Red Army secrets in Vienna for a few thousand dollars. A senior CIA officer, Aldrich Ames, undoubtedly a better negotiator, sold secrets to Moscow starting in 1984 for a total of 4.6 million dollars. Each transfer of information was linked to a transfer of money. The deal is clear. The principle of reciprocity, which we will discuss in a future article, plays its role perfectly. I know what I give you, and I know what I receive in return.

Behind the Money, There is Always a Deeper Motivational Factor

Lieutenant Colonel Popov’s true need was discovered a little later. He maintained a wife and a mistress at great expense, and his meager salary no longer allowed him to maintain the image he had created for himself. By agreeing to betray his country, he regained his personal pride in front of the two women who loved him. As for officer Ames, he accumulated gambling debts after a divorce. In each case, the primary motivational factor was money. But the psychological trigger was deeper.

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What Conclusion for Sales Team Motivation?

Conclusion #1: Salespeople’s Variable Pay: Simple and Clear

Variable pay is the salesperson’s social contract. It is imperative to establish a direct link between results and benefit, between what the salesperson gives and what they receive, between their performance and their salary. A salesperson who closes a deal must know how much that deal will earn them.

Incenteev’s Tip: If the salesperson can calculate it in their head, your compensation system is good. If they have to use a calculator, your compensation system is complex. If they don’t have a way to know how much the deal earns them, you should consider simplifying your compensation plan.

Conclusion #2: The Sales Challenge: Inspire Dreams Above All

Your organization will achieve miracles if you inspire it. Make your gains tangible. Move beyond challenges paid as exceptional salary bonuses or gift vouchers. Your salespeople need something extraordinary to break from their routine and excel.

Incenteev’s Tip: All salespeople will ask you for gift vouchers. Instead, offer dreams: Ferrari rides, luxury spa sessions… Fantasies motivate more effectively than euros and leave a lasting memory. If you decide to compensate with bonuses or gift vouchers, translate the amounts involved into concrete, illustrative gains.

Would you rather go to great lengths for a 100-euro gift voucher or for an Unusual and Secret Night? And your sales team?

Incenteev is the leading social platform for engaging and motivating sales forces. Incenteev allows you to organize original and motivating sales challenges for your salespeople. Why not give it a try?

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