Sales is a numbers game.
But behind the spreadsheets, dashboards, and deals is something far more primal:
🧠 Dopamine.
It’s the neurotransmitter that fuels desire, anticipation, and action.
And whether your reps are making calls, closing deals, or ghosting pipeline hygiene—it’s dopamine that’s behind the scenes, running the show.
As a RevOps leader, understanding how this chemical works gives you a superpower:
You can build incentives, systems, and feedback loops that align with how your team’s brains are wired.
Let’s dive in.
🧪 What Is Dopamine, Really?
Contrary to popular belief, dopamine isn’t the “pleasure chemical.”
It’s the anticipation chemical.
Dopamine spikes not when we get a reward—but when we expect one.
📚 Schultz et al., 1997
That means it fuels:
- Curiosity
- Craving
- Motivation to act
And once the reward is received?
Dopamine drops. The chase is over.
This makes dopamine the perfect fuel for sales performance—if you know how to trigger it.
🎯 Dopamine & Sales: The Key Triggers
Here’s what spikes dopamine in a sales environment:
🔁 1. Progress Tracking
Dopamine thrives on visible progress.
That’s why rep dashboards, deal stages, and pipeline bars feel addictive.
The brain wants to know: Am I getting closer to the win?
✅ Use tiered goals
✅ Show earnings in real-time
✅ Track micro-achievements (not just quota)
💡 Leaptree Incentivize builds real-time visibility into every plan—so progress is always clear.
🎮 2. Gamification & Streaks
Dopamine loves novelty and momentum.
Gamified elements—leaderboards, badges, progress streaks—tap into the brain’s built-in reward system.
Reps keep showing up not just for the reward, but for the next hit of progress.
✅ Run time-limited SPIFs
✅ Highlight streaks (e.g. “5 deals in 5 days”)
✅ Reward consistency, not just spikes
🧠 3. Variable Rewards
Fixed payouts are safe.
But uncertain rewards (like lotteries, contests, or tiered accelerators) trigger more dopamine.
📚 Kahneman & Tversky’s Prospect Theory shows people overvalue potential gains—especially if they feel winnable.
✅ Use surprise bonuses
✅ Mix up contest formats
✅ Add unpredictability to keep reps engaged
🔁 4. Instant Feedback
Dopamine is time-sensitive.
The longer the lag between action and reward, the less reinforcing it becomes.
✅ Deliver coaching in the moment
✅ Automate earnings updates
✅ Reward actions, not just outcomes
💡 With tools like Leaptree Incentivize, reps can see rewards update live—turning action into momentum.
⚠️ What Happens When You Ignore Dopamine?
When your incentive system doesn’t support the dopamine loop, motivation drops off fast.
Symptoms include:
- Reps hitting quota… and coasting
- Engagement spikes only during contests
- Confusion over how comp works
- Quiet resistance to CRM updates or non-commissionable tasks
The fix isn’t always “more money.”
It’s more meaningful, timely, visible rewards.
🧠 Final Thought: Sales Runs on Chemistry. Design for It.
You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to lead a high-performing team.
But you do need to understand that motivation lives in the brain—not the bonus clause.
Your job in RevOps is to design systems that: ✔️ Trigger dopamine
✔️ Sustain momentum
✔️ Make progress visible
✔️ Turn motivation into habit
And that’s exactly what Leaptree Incentivize was built to do.
So forget guesswork.
Forget motivational speeches.
Trigger the system that evolution already built in—and watch your sales team light up.
📚 References
- Schultz, W., Dayan, P., & Montague, P. R. (1997). A Neural Substrate of Prediction and Reward. Science.
- Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk.
- Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (1998). What is the Role of Dopamine in Reward: Hedonic Impact, Reward Learning, or Incentive Salience? Brain Research Reviews.