I'm not a fan of commissions as a motivator (sometimes it motivates us to do the wrong ting). More importantly, I think lack of motivation stems from the individual and highlights a clear cultural problem.

I think its a problem of motivation. I've done technical support and sales. Technical support people are not motivated the way sales people are. Yes, there are those in support who transcend their job description and go above and beyond, but those types of people are far and few between. Why? Because they aren't paid to sell. They are paid to fix problems, and move onto the next problem. 50-100 times a day. Sales people, on the other hand, deal with much less customers in a single day and are generally more customer service-like because that customer pays their bills (via commissions). Technical support people and customer service people get paid hourly, and usually, that pay is only slightly higher than minimum wage. What they should really do is provide serious incentive on # of happy customers achieved.

I’m not a fan of commissions as a motivator (sometimes it motivates us to do the wrong ting). More importantly, I think lack of motivation stems from the individual and highlights a clear cultural problem.