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Research Summary

Objectives

Understand how Junior Salespeople approach the prospect of a high rejection rate day after day
Uncover specifics about how these salespeople motivate themselves (e.g., identify external vs internal triggers, outlook, sources of inspiration, etc.)

Methodology

One-on-one interviews averaging 60 minutes
Study fielded for 6 days collecting 11 responses

Participants

Ages 24-29
6 males, 5 females
36 to 85+ calls (50+ emails)
1+ year work experience
Have a “growth mindset”
Mix of income, ethnicities, education, and U.S. regions
Sales Industries: Tech/Software, Financial/Insurance, Real Estate, Ecommerce

App Concept

Videos Shown

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Content

01 Approach

02 Key Takeaways & Recommendations

03 Concept Feedback

04 Appendix with Participant List

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One-on-One Sessions were conducted on Zoom

Exploration of Work Experience

Typical workday, # of calls, breaks, after-work activities (side projects/hustles)

Conceptions Around Mindset and Performance

Motivation for going into sales and succeeding, generational differences, attitudes for success, ways of overcoming failure

Existing Consumption of Motivational Content

Music, Videos, Livestreams, Podcasts/Books, Motivational Speakers, Physical Activity

Hype App/Video Feedback

First impressions of four static screens and one of two videos (1099, Popcorn), other desired features, usefulness, likelihood of purchase/expensing

Wrap Up

The moderator’s guide spanned five sections

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Key Takeaways & Recommendations

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Gen Y/Z Values Impact Their Mindset and Ideas Around Success

Authenticity

Intolerant of fake people/ products; don’t want to live a lie, want to be their True Self

Participants described how these factors often influence their lifestyle and attitudes.

Seek Fulfillment

Want jobs they feel passionate about and products they believe in, to spend time with friends and family, to do side projects /hustles

Connection

Desire to talk to people they can relate to, find things in common with, learn and grow from interactions

Materialistic�In it for the money, pay top dollar for Air Pods, dog food, shoes; post their stuff on Instagram

Being of Service

Aim to be their Best Self which includes helping friends, family, coworkers,

clients

Ambitious But

not willing to sacrifice quality of life; many want autonomy from

FT work as soon as possible

Work to Live

Work hard now to for easier life later, invest, set up passive income, not defined by jobs, a means to an end

Individuality

More tolerant of diversity and differences between people; one–size-fits-all approach does not work

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A Successful Life Is Defined by Seemingly Contradictory Values

Considerations for Hype: Produce video content around succeeding one-step-at-a-time, and rewarding success through material gain, investing in the future, and celebrating with friends and family.

JUSTIFYING HARD WORK –

Many participants set up passive income, buy stocks, and invest in property ��“I’m in sales so I can get paid more than a salary, invest the money, and not have to work full-time for long.” – P#

“I want to make a commission so I can make more money, transition into real estate where I don’t have to work as hard and can get income from stocks.” – P#

“Purchasing a house, that’s what being a top performer means to me.” Stephanie

FINDING FULFILLMENT –

Participants want to feel fulfilled during their workday and off-hours

“I am happy where I am, I like interacting with people I wouldn’t otherwise speak with. Life is short, I want to be with my friends and family.” – P#

“It makes me feel good to empower the people on my team by supporting their individual work styles.” - P# Cindy

“I’ll work all day, but I’ll stop at 5PM to hang with friends rather than work late.” – P# Molly

Most participants work hard for materialistic gain, but also seek work/life balance and fulfillment in all parts of life.

DEFINING SUCCESS IN SHORT-TERM –

Work goals are in the near future even when prompted to take a wider POV

“Sports sales is a good foundation to go into marketing.” – P# Dominic

“I want to grow into being a supervisor. I’m going to college at night to eventually get a job in communication.” – P# Tat

“It’s difficult to judge success in the world we live in now. It's not like you climb the ladder at one company any longer, there's no loyalty.” – P# Taylor

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Ambition Is Driven by Achieving External Goals and Finding Satisfaction Within

INTRINSICALLY REWARDING GOALS: �Many participants also defined success as feeling fulfilled by work through helping customers, connecting with coworkers, and feeling supported by the company culture.

“I grew up with the Oakland As as a child, I love selling what I’m passionate about.” – P# Dominic

“I believe in the product (Medicare), so I can stand behind it.” – P# E

“I love to go into work and learn and grow by talking to my coworkers and mentors.” – P# E

Participants strive for both outward success and day-to-day fulfillment on the job.

EXTRINSICALLY REWARDING GOALS: �Many participants described being driven to make money and gain recognition from others.

“Getting into sales is one of the fastest ways to make six figures.” – P# Molly

“I got a huge paycheck and became the #1 salesperson. It’s so motivating. I chase that feeling.” – P# Step

“It motivates me to see my name on the board at the end of the day.” – P# Tat

Considerations for Hype: Produce video content that reinforces achieving outward success AND doing intrinsically meaningful work, so that when viewers experience tough days, they can still feel good about their inner accomplishments (e.g., believing in the work they do).

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Celebrating Uniqueness is Integral to Gen Y/Z’s Values and Belief System

Considerations for Hype: Provide speakers of different races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Produce videos with different looks and feels.

“Our generation is more tolerant of racism, gender identities; but we ALL lead different lives. Don’t tell me there is only one way to do things.” Taylor

“People are different from each other; managers need to mange me differently from my coworkers and my roommates.” Molly

“I love hearing what people think about certain rentals, they’ll often like something I don’t, or not like something I do!” Cindy

Participants said no two people are alike, and they are turned off by one-size-fits-all approaches.

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Authenticity is a Key Driver for Gen Y/Z to Connect with Content

Participants relate most to people/products/services with whom they can identify. Considerations for HYPE:

“I could never

start KFC.”

�

Motivational speakers need to be more relatable.

Integrate personal stories of hosts into motivational talks on successful products/services such as KFC

Share stories of triumph over adversity from everyday people who are relatable and have “skin in the game” to facilitate social belonging

Play up raw emotion in stories, personal wins and losses. Convey overcoming obstacles and the struggle to succeed.

Offer smaller successes stories. Participants want to hear talks about people more like them to believe they can succeed, too.

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Gen Y/Z Crave Connection

Considerations for Hype: Tell different types of stories in various styles and provide users with a feedback loop to indicate which videos they like so that content can be tailored and they can connect with others like them.

“I love talking to people I would normally not talk to; it gives me a chance to see another perspective.” P

“I love making connections, getting to know people, I’m a positive optimistic person, it might lead to something down the road.” K

“ I look forward to getting personal with small businesses, it's their baby (unlike selling to large companies).” M

Participants want to communicate with others who are like them and not like them to find common ground.

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Carol Dweck Defines Two Types of Mindset in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success�

In this study, mindset was determined by asking participants which of three statements they agree with the most

Considerations for Hype: Produce video content that induces a growth mindset by learning from one’s mistakes and converting life’s setbacks into future successes. Use Deck’s “Not Yet” approach to cope with challenge.

GROWTH�I believe that success comes from learning and growing and overcoming obstacles by stretching yourself.

FIXED�I believe that success comes from having certain gifts and talents that you can’t change much with effort.

MIXED – a combination of fixed/growth�I believe that success comes from having certain gifts and talents and learning and growing.

FIXED MINDSET:

Thinking your intelligence or personality is a fixed deep-seated trait. You believe your qualities are unchangeable, so you want to prove yourself over and over rather than learn from your mistakes.

�

GROWTH MINDSET:

Thinking your intelligence or personality is something you can develop. The hand you’re dealt is just a starting point. You can cultivate your basic qualities through your efforts.

�

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Characteristics & Examples of Participants’ Growth Mindset

Considerations for Hype: Gen Y/Z connects learning, growing, and bettering themselves with helping others. Include this vantage point in videos, titles, and app content. Success comes from having a positive impact on the people around us.

Get Outside Their Comfort Zone

Experiment, try new things, learn to be comfortable with not knowing how to do things at first

Set Goals

Make small and big goals and learn from mistakes, try to grow and better themselves

Day-to-Day Improvement

Believe their goals will come to fruition; it takes patience and resilience J

Make a Good Impact on The World

Help someone else, be a better person for the people around them at work and at home.

Characteristics & Examples of Participants’ Growth Mindset

PARTICIPANTS

Growth Mindset: 6/6 Males

3/5 Females

�Mixed Mindset: 2/5 Females

�

Descriptions of mindset often include being of service to others.

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Attitudes for Success�

Be Prepared

“I make sure I have all the right information in front of me before making a call.”

Motivate Themselves Before Making Calls

”I listen to hip-hop to ramp up; I say to myself, ‘ I'm gonna kill it.’”
“I meditate to relax and calm down before making calls.”
”I pump up at the gym to get in the right mindset, by the time at work, I’m ready to go.”

Create a Zen Mind and Let Go of Outcome

“I do the best I can and try to be as detached as possible.”
“I don’t look at the board; I try to be as nice as possible to the customer, be a professional.”
“I create an empty mind (no pep talk) before calling. I just go with whatever happens.”

Feel Gratitude

"Tomorrow may be good, too, but there will be a bad day later. I appreciate how the day went. I take it day-to-day."

Be of Service

“I try to help my clients understand what they need and give it to them.”
“I want to be a better me for the people around me at work and home.”

Participants recipe for success at work often includes being of service to others.

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Ways of Overcoming Failure

Communicate with Others

“If I have a bad day, I go into the other room and talk to my roommates about it.”
“I’m not getting anyone on the phone, I talk to my coworkers. I vent.”

Use Feedback for Improvement

“I try to understand the reason they say ‘no.’”
“I just do what I can to improve on the next call. New challenges are how you learn and grow.”

Shake it Off and Reset

“I brush off the No’s. It’s OK to have downtimes.”
”I don't take it personally. A bad day is a reflection on them. Do the best you can but don't dwell. Let it go and forget about it.”
“I listen to meditative music. Your mind focuses on the sound. It puts you in a different place. I’ll do yoga by myself.”
“I‘ll put on music after I have a tough call. It helps me feel like I’m on fire again.”

Stay Positive

“I try to focus on the positive, not the negative, and have good intentions with customers.”
“I try to be consistent, follow different scripts. Luck is not on my side. Not every day can be a great day. It will come around.”
“I'll create a To-Do list, set goals to stay focused, be accountable. It helps me see what I've accomplished by end of the day.” S

Considerations for Hype: Consider using Gen Y/Z language in video content and video descriptions to motivate your target audience to overcome failure and succeed in work and life.

Participants used inspirational tools for dealing with difficult days and bouncing back from rejection.

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Motivating Content

Music (YouTube, Spotify) – Listen to What’s Trending

A mix of chill relaxing music to get in the zone and upbeat music to get pumped up

Jack Johnson, meditative music, ocean sounds, rain, smooth jazz, neo-soul helps them calm down and focus
Hip hop, rap, pop, house music, urbano (Dalex) amps them up.

“I feel the energy, I'm gonna carry this through the day.”
“In the office break room, I play Rhianna, Nina Simone, Michael Jackson. Upbeat music for slow days; slow music for quick days.”

Videos (YouTube) – Don’t Watch Often Because It Interferes With Work Productivity

Jordan Peterson (Canadian clinical psychologist)
Joe Rogan. Intellectual. Help to see things from new angles.
Steve Harvey
CNBC business technology, helps to learn and grow more, and make connections with people
“Wolf of Wall Street” clip. Leonardo DiCaprio pumps his team up by saying, ”Get on the phone and start dialing.”

Livestreams – Not Many Engage

Clips on FaceBook of personal stories
Instagram motivating groups
David Goggins ( Instagram)

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Motivating Content

Empowering Books, Podcasts, Quotes (Pinterest)

Lewis Howes, “You Were Born For Greatness”
Deepak Chopra, “7 Spiritual Laws of Success”
Tim Ferris, “The Tribe of Mentors”

Motivational Speakers/Celebrities

Many respondents did not trust motivational speakers

“I don't like them (Joe Rogan), seems like a cult, trying to get you to build a better life.”
“Leadership is fake, they just charge you money.”

A few were engaged by inspiring personal stories from

Tony Robbins
Stormy Wellington
Robert Green--50 cents. Build something for your self, be an owner of something.
Le Bron overcoming adversity
Gong on LinkedIn
TED talks

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Concept Feedback

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Concept Feedback

Everyone thought the app was useful

“I would use the app to stay on track, get out of feeling bad. Everyone has ups and downs.”
”Yes, it's just like our coach talking to us every morning, makes it fun.”
“It’s pretty useful once you're on, but I wouldn't have gotten it from the app store.”

9/11 respondents said they would use the app

“Especially at the beginning of the day.”
“In the mornings, even the weekends.”
“I would watch at night before going to bed.”
“If I need a pick-me-up, or before a cold call.”
“Days when I'm in a slump, after two days in a row without a sale, to get my mind right.”
“I would watch on my way to work (while riding Muni). I like that a lot. It’s instant gratification in 5-10 minutes, I still haven’t gotten through a book.”

App Concept

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Concept Feedback

8/10 participants would expense the app

“Yes, especially with a 7-day free trial.”
“Especially if there’s more than one speaker, different genders and races, and it’s for certain industries.”
“I’m not sure, it depends on features, see how often it's updated.”

3/10 participants would purchase the app

“Yes, with adjustments, for $3 or subscription”
“Yes, if it has a LOT of content”
“I’m not sure, I want to see other people, not just that one guy.”
“It depends on cost. $5/month or $50/year – I would do this.”
“I need to see more.”

Target Audience

Investors, C-level execs
Different religious groups like Christianity and Islam, spiritual groups
Anyone at beginning of career
College, high school, and elementary school students
Entrepreneurs
Unemployed

App Concept

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Concept Feedback

Descriptions of the app

It’s a way to pump you up, motivate you at your career
It’s a one-stop shop for motivation
It gives you energy to keep going during your day, even when it’s hard

Suggested areas of Improvement

Shorten the length of the videos
Make it clearer what the app is about, especially in the app store
Offer personal stories of triumph users can relate to (more raw)
Present speakers of different genders and ethnicities
Be able to sort by what’s most popular/trending
Play up daily tasks to motivate people to open the app
Give daily notifications of new videos
Be able to download the video and share with others
Save the talk and watch it later
Tag the talk, add a friend, and have a private direct message

Videos Shown

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Pros and Cons of Concept

Pros	Cons	Recipe for Success
Look and feel of the app compels them to want to use it, bright colors, very pro, easy to use	Not easy to identify what the app is about on first glance, may be hard to understand what it is in the app store	Play up authentic connection as part of branding
Videos are relatively short (better than a book)	Videos are too long	One-minute videos are ideal, send notifications to push content (videos expected daily or weekly)
Really like Popcorn video about appreciating others and 1099 about overcoming no’s to succeed	But many feel the success stories in the videos are too far out of reach, had a hard time identifying with famous success stories such as KFC	Produce heartfelt stories of everyday successful people Gen Y/Z can relate to who have skin in the game and have overcome difficult situations to thrive in a variety of ways
Speaker is inspiring, “not cheesy”	Speaker is “cheesy”	Offer various types and styles of hosts representing diverse ethnicities, gender identities, etc., and individual differences
Convenient to find motivational videos all in one place	Some users can’t watch videos at work, and would prefer to listen to inspiring talks	?????
Being able to interact with and feel connected to others using the app	Having to take polls or answer questions, would rather it just watch and not interact	Provide an easy way to turn off polling/question features; allow people to connect even more deeply

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Participants Requested App Features To Enable More Connection

Participant suggestions could offer opportunities for building community in the future.

Share videos outside of the app to entice others to use HYPE and build community

Private message people on the app and make friends

Show the videos in a conference room and watch them together in person / on video calls

Provide videos from everyday people more like them to connect better to the content

Offer motivational coaches/master classes on how to master your own psychology, your own growth mindset

Finding others to keep them accountable with their goals and check in to see if they accomplished them

Make their own videos and connect with community more personally

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Key to Success: Creating Relatable Motivational Videos and Branding around Authentic Connection

Integrate personal stories of hosts into stories of successful products such as KFC
Offer personal stories of everyday people who overcome obstacles and succeed
Vary music from up-tempo to midtempo and provide shades of motivational speeches to hype users up
Pace the words to match the tempo of the music and message of the talk

Brand around authentic connection: telling stories to appeal to diverse ethnicities, genders, etc., and individuals within groups that tie to the truth of who the target audience is and enable them to connect with each other and build community.

A one-stop-shop for motivation and authentic connection.

Participants want real connection with others and believe HYPE can provide it.

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Appendix

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Participants

Name	Age	Gender	Ethnicity	Industry # of years	# of Calls	Generation Quotes on Success	Desired HYPE Features
Joseph	24	M	Caucasian	Financial Sales (Investments/ IRAs) 6 years	85+	30- to 40-year-olds focus on climbing the corporate ladder and retire asap. We’re about instant gratification, things are at our fingertips on the internet. I can make money now and set up passive income.	Wish I could choose videos from people I follow Share content Get notifications I’d like to see Masterclasses
Khuzaim	24	M	Asian American	BioTech (Medical Devices) 5 years	70+	Gen Z is vocal about not caring about money, but there is a lot of materialistic desire. I see $300 Air Pods, expensive shoes. But we also leave home, start families; the timeline is not so different.	Not so much chat Share content Be able to download from phone to people outside of app Save favorite vids
Molly	25	F	Caucasian	Tech Software Account Exec 2 years (Previously in Recruiting)	45+ calls/ 50 emails (80 calls)	My generation is more about social life, making yourself happy. I left my last job because I wasn’t happy with management. The money side of me is my dad. I won’t work late to miss a social event.	Want to send videos to coworkers – “When people send me TikTok videos, it makes me want to get TikTok.”

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Participants

Name	Age	Gender	Ethnicity	Industry # of years	# of Calls	Generation Quotes on Success	Desired HYPE Features
Justine	26	F	Caucasian	Commercial Account Exec 3.5 years	5-15 calls/ 50 email (100+ Calls)	Boomers define success by having cars, kids and a job, a do it all mentality and everything as young as possible. But it will take us longer to attain these things.	Likes share and live comments Nailed everything Organize videos by type of motivation Sort by most popular
Cindy	27	F	African American	Real Estate Sales Manager 2+ years	65+	Money vs being fulfilled. We’re in the Great Resignation. There is a big shift in people wanting to experience a work/social life balance. People don’t want to base their identify on a job.	Not a fan of comments Wants notifications Wants reminders of tasks from “calendar” Wants real-life stories of people
Taylor	27	M	Caucasian	Software Sales 4-5 years	75-100	It’s difficult to judge success in today’s world, life is different, there are no jobs with one company anymore. Other things are more important. Life’s too short to live a lie.	Needs stories he can relate to, from people like him Wants struggle, raw emotion, a person with skin in the game

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Participants

Name	Age	Gender	Ethnicity	Industry # of years	# of Calls	Generation Quotes on Success	Desired HYPE Features
Dominic	27	M	Hispanic	Entertainment 2 years	70-90	In this day and age, so many put their success on Instagram. I’m all about success in silence. We’re too attached to technology, too self-conscious about our self-image.	Play up daily tasks for purposes of opening the app Wants to share videos Wants to get updates Wants to videocall a coworker and share in a conference room
Enman	27	M	Caucasian	Financial/ Insurance 3 ½ years	40-50	Parents/Boomers get a job, buy a house. 70% of Millennials live paycheck to paycheck. We’re at such a disadvantage. The elderly have high expectations, think we’re lazy. I’m not sure I want kids.	Wants to share the videos Wants to save the talks to watch later Wants to add a friend and have a PM
Stephanie	28	F	Caucasian	Ecommerce Account Exec 1 year (10 years/sales)	30-60	For me, success means going from the college stage to buying a house, that next step of responsibility.	Hear other people’s experiences in life Wants topics like ways to prospect, overcome objections Steam it to her TV

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Participants

Name	Age	Gender	Ethnicity	Industry # of years	# of Calls	Generation Quotes on Success	Desired HYPE Features
Tatiana	28	F	African American 5 years	Tech Sales (Cell Phones) 5 years	85+	My generation competes with each other. They want big money, raises. I’m not saying it makes them happy.	Not interested in the questions Wants a like/dislike button like on YouTube Wants to make own motivational video
Ernest	29	M	African American	Tech/Software 5 years	85+	We are equally ambitious, but we are not willing to sacrifice quality of life. We put that before monetary success. Work/life balance. I’m putting in more work now (with a real estate side hustle at night) to get ready to transition to full time. I put in extra now to do less later. I’m setting up a passive income. I don’t know if retirement is a thing. At 60 or 70, I still want to be going strong.	Wants accountability coaching Wants to share goals and then have others check in to see if I accomplished them

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Summary of Gen Y/Z Values That Impact Their Motivational Mindset and Ideas Around Success

Authenticity is a Must

Intolerant of fake people/products; don’t want to live a lie, want to be their True Self

Work to Live

Work hard now to get easier work later, invest, set up passive incomes, not defined by their jobs, work is a means to an end

Ambitious but…

Not willing to sacrifice quality of life; work/financial success is defined by short-term goals; many want autonomy from full-time work as soon as possible

Seek Fulfillment

Want jobs they feel passionate about/to represent products they believe in, to spend time with friends and family, and to do side projects/hustles

Celebrate Materialistic Gains

In it for the money, pay top dollar for Air Pods, dog food, shoes; post their stuff on Instagram.

Want to be of Service to Others

They aim to be their Best Self which means helping friends, family, coworkers, clients, etc.

Cherish Individuality

They are more tolerant of diversity/differences between people; a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.

Want Connection

They desire to talk to people they can relate to, find things in common despite differences, learn and grow from interactions.