Hustling Makes You Happy, Before it Makes You Rich

Good Morning! Tesla is paying up to $33.66 an hour for “robotaxi test operators” in NYC. Basically, sitting in self-driving cars while making sure they don’t turn into bumper cars. If this whole sales thing doesn’t work out, it’s not the worst backup plan. No quota, no pipeline reviews, no ‘circling back’ emails… just you, a car, and the hope it doesn’t decide to test its “swerve” feature on the highway. Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up. 😁 

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Why Working Hard Makes You Happy (even when it’s not making you Rich)

Which one makes you happier: 1) Getting a big commission check or 2) closing out a quarter knowing you gave it everything you could?

Your gut reaction is probably to say the commission check, but researchers found that’s not true. The thing that best predicts how satisfied a sales rep feels isn't this month's performance. It's how hard they're working.

Effort has a direct line to morale. Performance… not as much.

That's good and bad news.

Good because you can raise morale fast by making work feel meaningful and doable. Bad because hustle without direction can burn calories without making revenue.

Today, I’m breaking down how to create a morale boost while also converting it into money.

The Science Behind the Grind

A 1994 study looked at the effect that effort plays on your happiness in a sales role.

When they measured both effort and performance against job satisfaction, effort crushed performance by a mile. Even when the hard workers missed quota, they still felt better about their jobs than lazy reps who got lucky.

But here's the catch: A later study found that effort only makes you happy when it feels like it's going somewhere. Reps who grind continuously without seeing any results become miserable.

The difference is whether that effort compounds into something bigger over time.

Why Effort Feels Good

People are wired to find effort rewarding all by itself.

According to the study, humans get satisfaction from three core things - feeling competent at what they do, making progress toward goals, and having control over their own actions.

Hard work hits all three buttons at once.

When you recognize a rep for the hours they put in, the calls they made, or the demos they delivered, you tap into this psychological reward system.

Smart managers recognize this and celebrate behaviors that lead to deals.

Inputs like outbound activity, quality meetings, and follow up.

Turn Hustle Into Real Revenue

Hard work feels great, but the goal is making that hard work actually pay off in commissions (and revenue).

1) Sharpen what researchers call "instrumentality": the belief that effort reliably converts to results. According to the study, reps push way harder when they see clear action-to-result connections.

Instead of vague advice like "make more calls," be specific - "call these 20 accounts with this exact ask, and here's why it works."

2) Eliminate confusion and conflict. When goals are unclear or departments give conflicting directions, purposeful effort dies. The study found this muddies performance across the board.

Tighten up territories, nail down goals, and create crystal-clear scoring systems.

3) Productive competition: The research shows that competition helped drive performance, likely because it pushed reps to work harder and develop better selling skills.

Channel competitive energy into contests and skills reps use with customers. Gamify the behaviors that close deals.

Make It Tactical

Knowing that effort makes reps happier is great and all… but here’s how you can actually take action:

What to measure and recognize weekly: Quality first meetings, multithreaded opportunities, stage-advancing emails, new ICP accounts touched, etc. The study recommends recognizing at least a few effort-based activities.

Balance outcomes with craft: Keep deals and revenue as your north star, but add a "craft score" that tracks prep quality, discovery depth, and call planning. This way, reps see progress before revenue lands.

5-minute standups: This could be daily or a few times a week. Each rep states one effort metric (100 cold calls) and one outcome metric (3 new meetings). Public recognition keeps morale high when outcomes lag.

Create goal clarity: Nail down your definitions of "qualified," "stage-advance," and "closed lost reasons." Fewer gray areas equal more purposeful effort.

Award effort trophies: Monthly honors for “Best Outbounder” or "Best Discovery," etc. These rewards tie directly to the effort that creates revenue later.