Sell More Through Internal and External Motivation

At first glance, it may seem better for a salesperson to be intrinsically motivated than extrinsically motivated, but in fact, it is not. Intrinsic motivation is in every possible way in opposition to external motivation, because it refers to an inner desire that drives a person's behaviour.

1. What is Internal and External Motivation?

1.1 Internal motivation occurs when an impulse is exerted in response to a specific stimulation such as the desire for a new sales deal, a new prospect, or an opportunity to move forward in a sales process.

1.2 External motivation is when you’re motivated to engage in behaviour or activity because you want to earn gain pleasure or avoid pain. It boils down to the desire to do something for a reason, such as to earn incentives, commissions, bonus or to avoid performance improvement program, or a mix of both. 

2. How External and Internal Motivation Works?

To better understand the differences between the two motivational types and their effects, it will help to learn more about how each of these types works. Psychologists have proposed different ways of thinking about motivation, including considering whether motivation comes from the outside (extrinsic) or inside (intrinsic) of the individual.

I have a real interest in psychology and wanted to gain a better understanding of this particular topic. Researchers have found that both types have a positive effect on the quality of life, and on performance in a variety of tasks.

2.1 When you are extrinsically motivated, your behaviour is motivated by external factors that cause you to do something to earn a reward or avoid a less desirable outcome. 

2.2 If you’re not naturally motivated, your behaviour is motivated by external motivation, and by the desire to do something for yourselves, such as a skill that you’re eager to learn or a goal that you’re aiming for.

2.3 If there is something that could be used to trigger intrinsic motivation, it would be internal, and they are something that could be used to trigger your intrinsic motivation. 

2.4 It’s hard to say if this is the way to develop intrinsic motivations, after all, they come from within, but if you can get yourself to work with an internal form of motivation, it can often motivate you and others too. It’s just infectious. 

2.5 If you completed a task for an external reason (such as your paycheck), you may not entirely like it, but when you complete it and get rewarded, you will undeniably enjoy it. The external motivation comes not from the individual, while the internal motivation must come from within. 

2.6 Studies have shown that external being rewarded externally, can reduce intrinsic motivations through a phenomenon known as “the over justification effect”. For example, a child who is rewarded for playing with a toy in which he or she has already expressed an interest, loses interest in the object. 

2.7 If you are looking for effective ways to stay motivated and make lasting changes, you should change your focus. 

2.8 Internal motivation is the driving force behind your thoughts and decisions regarding your career, hobbies, relationships, and other activities. 

2.9 Without an external reward, researchers have found that people are more creative, productive, and do a better job when they are internally motivated. Studies have also shown that external rewards for internally rewarding activities can make people more motivated and productive than those who do not. 

2.10 When we are so motivated, we say that activity is regulated externally - that is, it is triggered and sustained by an external eventuality - and that it works because we are rewarded for it. It depends on the first adoption, but it requires an extrinsic motivation to be pressured to behave, think, or feel in a certain way and is not per se motivated. This corresponds to the fact that extrinsic motivations have been found to undermine intrinsic motivation. 

2.11 We extrinsically define as those who come from and operate outside, and internalize external arrangements so that external eventualities are no longer required for us to continue to perform even when the boss is not around. This is called "behaviour-driven by the internalization of the external environment", not external factors and external circumstances. This kind of motivation arises from the individual as opposed to intrinsic motivation emanating from inside an individual. 

Conclusion

The main difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is that intrinsic motivation comes from the person's inner environment whereas extrinsic motivation comes from outside, and causes a person doing or not doing something, whether it meets an individual need or the objective requirements of others. 

 

Intrinsic motivation drives you to achieve a goal or to accomplish a task in a way that makes you feel fulfilled, and it can be helpful to seek a reward, as an extrinsic motivation, when you have to complete tasks that you normally find unpleasant.