# Motivational Triggers Cheat Sheet

> A one-page lookup for what actually moves each of the four personality types on your team: competitive, affiliative, achievement-driven, and autonomy-driven: so a 1:1, a shoutout, or a contest doesn't backfire.

Free cheat sheet for sales managers. Topic: [Psychology, Mindset & Productivity](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/psychology-mindset-productivity/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/motivational-triggers-cheat-sheet/

## How to use it

Print this single page and keep it next to your 1:1 notes; before praising, assigning, or incentivizing a rep, glance at their row and match the method to the type.

## What's inside

- A definition of each of the 4 types: competitive, affiliative, achievement-driven, autonomy-driven
- 60-second diagnostic questions to identify a rep's type on the spot
- Quick-reference table across all 4 types: what moves them, what kills it, what to say, what never to say
- Best recognition method per type
- Best incentive/comp structure fit per type
- A same-team blend guide for running one team meeting that lands for all 4 types at once

One page. Keep it open during 1:1 prep, contest design, and recognition moments.

## 60-Second Diagnostic
Ask, or just notice the pattern over a few interactions:
- "When you picture a great week here, is it beating a specific number, beating a specific person, mastering something hard, or doing it your own way?"
- Do they mention **rank** unprompted (competitive)? Mention **the team or a client** unprompted (affiliative)? Mention **getting better at something** unprompted (achievement-driven)? Push back on **being told how** to do something (autonomy-driven)?

## Quick-Reference Table

| Type | Spot Them By | What Moves Them | What Kills It | Say This | Never Say This | Best Recognition | Best Incentive Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Competitive** | Checks the leaderboard unprompted; talks in relative rank ("I'm 2 behind Dan"); energized by contests | A visible, moving rank; head-to-head contests; a rival at their level | Flat pay with no visible rank; long contests with only one winner | "You're 2 deals from taking the lead this week." | "Everyone's a winner here." | Public leaderboard, name attached | Short-cycle contests (weekly), most-improved category |
| **Affiliative** | References "the team" often; motivated by not letting others down; thrives in pods/pairs | Being part of something; peer recognition; a shared team goal | Being singled out alone at the top or bottom; pure solo metrics with no team frame | "The team hit its number because of what you did on the East accounts." | "You beat everyone else this month." | Team shoutout that names their specific contribution | Team-based SPIFFs, pod bonuses |
| **Achievement-driven** | Asks for feedback unprompted; rewatches own calls; cares more about "why it worked" than "that it worked" | Naming the specific skill that leveled up; harder problems as reward for mastery | Praise that only mentions the number, never the skill; being handed easier work as a "reward" | "The way you handled that objection was a level up from last month, here's why." | "Just keep doing what you're doing." | Private, specific, skill-named feedback | Certification/skill-tier systems tied to access, not just cash |
| **Autonomy-driven** | Pushes back on scripts; asks "why" before "how"; better with a goal than a checklist | Being handed an outcome and left to choose the method | Step-by-step scripts with no room to adapt; being shadowed right after a win | "Here's the outcome, the approach is yours." | "Just follow the script, it works." | A visible grant of trust (their own account, less oversight) | Outcome-based comp with method left open |

## Running One Meeting That Lands for All Four
When you can't tailor 1:1 by 1:1: a team standup, a QBR, a kickoff, hit all four in under 2 minutes:
1. **Open with team purpose** (affiliative), what this quarter's push means for the team as a whole.
2. **Name a rank movement** (competitive): who moved up, who's closing the gap.
3. **Name a specific skill leveled up by someone** (achievement): not just a number, the "how."
4. **Close by handing the room a choice** (autonomy): "here's the goal, you decide how your pod gets there."