“If money is your only motivator in sales, you won’t last.”
“You’ll burn out if you’re solely motivated by money.”
If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn, especially in sales circles, you’ve probably seen statements like these. They’re often presented as hard truths, usually by people who believe that purpose, passion or mission should always come before money.
But for many people in sales, that narrative doesn’t really match reality.
The uncomfortable truth: money motivates a lot of great salespeople
In practice, many of the most consistent, long-tenured and high-performing sales professionals are very openly motivated by money.
Not in a reckless, short-term way, but in a deliberate, long-term one.
People who care deeply about earnings often:
Take relationship-building seriously, because repeat business matters
Think long-term about reputation and trust
Stay in roles longer when the commercial upside is fair and reliable
Hold themselves accountable when results dip
They understand that sales isn’t about quick wins. It’s about momentum, credibility and compounding effort.
That’s a sign of clarity and not shallow motivation.
Who actually burns out?
Interestingly, the people most at risk of burning out in sales aren’t always the money-motivated ones.
Burnout often shows up when:
Someone isn’t genuinely motivated by revenue or targets
They move into sales because it seemed like a “good career move”
They struggle to connect their day-to-day work with what drives them
Sales can be relentless. If financial reward doesn’t matter much to you, the pressure can feel constant with little emotional return. Over time, that disconnect catches up.
Money is the biggest driver behind job moves, whether we admit it or not
In tech sales especially, money is consistently the number one reason people change roles.
Not greed, just reality.
Common scenarios include:
Commission structures that change mid-year
Targets increasing while commission rates decrease
Equity being promised but never materialising
“Uncapped” earnings turning out to be very capped in practice
When the commercial agreement breaks down, trust breaks down too. Wanting to be paid fairly for your output is rational.
Being money-motivated doesn’t mean you don’t care about people
There’s a persistent stereotype that money-driven salespeople are lone wolves who only care about themselves. In reality, many of the most financially motivated people:
Support extended family
Give generously to their communities
Value stability and long-term security
Take pride in being dependable providers
Money is often tied to responsibility, not ego.
You don’t need to apologise for what drives you
Sales is one of the few careers where your output can be directly linked to your income. That’s part of its appeal and part of its honesty.
If money is your number one motivator that doesn’t make you less ethical, or mean you lack purpose, or mean you’re destined to burn out.
What matters is alignment: between your motivation, the role you’re in, and the way you’re rewarded.
The real question to ask yourself
Instead of asking, “Is it bad to be motivated by money?”
A better question is:
“Is this role set up in a way that rewards what actually motivates me?”
When motivation and reality align, sales can be sustainable, fulfilling and very long-term.
And you don’t need to apologise for that!