80s work hard play hard mantra still rings true for sales professionals

Forget sabbaticals, flexi-time or spa vouchers, UK bosses need to offer good old fashioned cash to keep their sales departments motivated. New research from salestarget.co.uk, the recruitment website for sales professionals, reveals a thriving work hard/play hard attitude within the industry. Money is the big motivator, with more than a third (37 per cent) citing financial perks as the reason they opted to work in sales. More than half of those in the industry believe that receiving performance related bonuses improves their quality of life, with men the most likely to be driven by financial benefits.
The nationís sales reps are prepared to put in long hours in order to ensure their commission. Fifty nine per cent of sales professionals work between 41-60 hours a week in order to meet their targets, with fifteen per cent working in excess of 52 hours. Men work the longest hours, always with an eye on reaching their targets.

The adrenalin rush from sealing a deal is also a key driver for the British sales rep, with 30 per cent citing the thrill of achieving their targets a key career motivator. Twenty seven per cent say that they love the challenge their job provides.

Yet itís not all work and no play for sales professionals. Exotic holidays are a key destination for a hard-earned bonus, with 27 per cent choosing to splurge on travel. A further 27 per opt to indulge their cash on socialising. Women are more likely than men to buy treats for themselves when they receive a big commission pay out. The majority (68 per cent) of those working in sales receive commission every month. More than a quarter of those in the industry receive between 21 and 40 per cent of their basic salary as commission, with fifteen per cent getting more than 60 per cent of their income as a monthly bonus.

Mike Convey, website director for Salestarget.co.uk says: Itís clear that íshow me the moneyí is a common mantra for the UK sales industry. Whilst the majority of noughties management theories place emphasis on non-financial benefits and work / life balance, employers need to be mindful that for the sales force in many companies, this approach is not the way to get the most out of individuals. Performance related pay gives sales professionals a tangible link between how much they put in and what they can treat themselves to at the end of the month.