Having worked in Sales for more than 18 years, I have learned that all sales professionals have a common need for recognition and motivation.   Only about 5-20 % of sales people are, "intrinsically motivated" meaning internally driven and not seekers of recognition, whereas 80 percent are "extrinsically motivated" and want ongoing encouragement, praise and recognition to keep up sales.

For many sales managers, most of whom are self-motivated and don't seek out recognition, it can come as a complete shock that three quarters of their sales team may be extrinsically motivated . This awareness gap can cause serious morale and productivity issues if the recognition needs of the sales teams are not addressed adequately.American Psychologistpublished a study where researchers found that top performers experienced a positive to negative emotions ratio at a minimum 3:1 and as high as 11:1. In other words,for a person to "thrive" he/she needs to experience at least 3 positive interactions for every 1 negative. Negative feedback is a regular part of a salesperson's daily life so you can imagine how important it becomes to give regular praise and recognition to sales teams to keep them feeling upbeat and motivated.

So what can sales managers do to recognize and praise their sales people on a regular basis? A multitude of initiatives and programs can be leveraged that do not break the bank but produce a positive end result -happy and productive sales people.

Consider putting together the following recognition praise that can go a long way:

• Monthly, or weekly contests for top producers
• Getting a small, or rotating trophy
• Employee/peer nomination
• Reward employees more often with small valued items (gift cards)
• Ongoing praise " of a simple "thank you" and   acknowledgement

At Cisco, our partners' success equals our success and we want to recognize our partners' sales reps for the contributions they make to our success and yours. Now in Cisco Rewards, partner sales reps can get rewarded in new ways.  Simply by finding offers, preforming simple challenges, and selling key products during eligibility periods, reps can earn extra points that can be redeemed for valuable items, and earn badges just for completing these activities. The badges earned are awarded to top performers are visible to others in the Cisco Rewards Platform.

Start winning today and get rewarded on the following Cisco promotions:

• Receive discounts of up to 70 percent on Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) products.Get rewarded when you uncover new Cisco UCS deals with the UCS New Account Breakaway promotion.
• Receive discounts of up to 60 percent on switching and wireless (WLAN) products.

Profit from this huge opportunity to refresh Cisco legacy products with the Unified Access Breakaway promotion.

• Receive discounts of up to 70 percent on the collaboration portfolio.Win more business in the midsize segment with the Midmarket Collaboration promotion.

In addition to Cisco Rewards, for Partner Plus partners, Cisco Winner's Circle is another way we are recognizing the top 1 percent of our Partner Sales reps around the world. The top Partner Plus partners who meet their annual target can nominate a top sales representative to attend a fabulous offsite event where they can network with Cisco executives and other top sales people from around the world.  Visit Winner's Circle 's for more information, and learn how to qualify.   Winner's Circle is our way of saying "Thanks for the hard work and dedication".  Also, a reminder: don't forget to execute your funds before July 26, 2014.

What do you do for your sales reps to keep them motivated? I would love to hear some of your thoughts in the comment section below.  Also, do you have any ideas on how we could enhance Cisco Rewards to better meet your needs? We're always looking for ways to improve the partner experience.   If you'd like to learn more about Cisco Partner Rewards or to register yourself or your company for offers, visit www.cisco.com/go/ciscorewards.