It’s one of the most romanticized moments in sports history—Coach Herb Brooks delivering his electrifying pregame speech before the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the seemingly unbeatable Russians.
Sales leaders everywhere have dreamt of channeling that energy to rally their teams to victory.
But here’s the cold truth: your motivational speech, no matter how compelling, won’t transform your bottom 80% performers into top producers.
That’s because motivation, while exciting, is fleeting. It’s not what drives sustained performance.
If you really want to move the needle, stop chasing motivation and start focusing on habit replication.
The Illusion of Motivational Magic
The business world spends billions every year on motivational speakers, training programs, and high-energy coaching sessions. And sure, they can boost morale or reinforce company culture, but they rarely deliver lasting change.
Why? Because motivation isn’t easily manipulated. As sales legend Brian Tracy himself admits, even the best motivation techniques won’t save a manager who hires the wrong people.
Motivational programs might give someone a temporary lift, but they don’t change behaviors. The BMC experiment detailed in Dan Harrington’s book, Authentic Intelligence, proved this.
Despite investing millions in motivational sales training, the result was zero measurable lift in performance or retention. The glow faded, and habits didn’t change. That’s because motivation without ability and a trigger—what BJ Fogg defines as the key formula for behavioral change (B=MAT)—doesn’t work.
Replacing Raw Motivation with Reliable Habit Systems
The solution? Don’t waste energy trying to artificially pump people up.
Instead, give them the tools to replicate the successful habits of your top performers. This is where technology shines—not as a replacement for human salesmanship, but as an enabler of consistent, proven behavior.
By automating critical tasks like follow-up emails, lead prioritization, and local marketing, sales teams don’t need to rely on willpower or memory to do the right thing. They’re triggered by systems designed to support their success. And when the task is frictionless and connected to an immediate reward (like closing a deal), it becomes a self-reinforcing habit.
As Harrington points out, the most successful CRMs are not built for the top 1% of users—they’re built to lift the bottom 80%. Because the fastest path to more deals isn’t finding a dozen Herb Brooks speeches. It’s empowering average producers to perform like top producers, using habit replication tools that remove barriers and deliver results.
Want to explore how automation can elevate your entire team, not just the top 20%? Contact Usherpa today to discuss how our approach to risk mitigation and sales productivity will absolutely reshape your results by making it easy to empower every loan officer to perform like the best.
