Hertzberg and hygiene

Frederick Hertzberg is a pioneer in motivation. He postulated a theory populated by two categories. The first was what he called hygiene factors and the second was called motivators.

The first category, hygiene factors, cause negative feelings while the second, motivators, cause positive feelings. I am only interested in the dissatisfiers (hygiene factors). When we speak w/potential clients, and maybe even clients, hygiene factors seem to be important. After all, do we really want to lose a client because we misspoke or couldn't deliver on a promise?

If you are an employee it is easy to spot these factors. Company policy, administrative policies, work conditions, salary, peer relationship, status, job security and many more factors are all part of the hygiene factor. But on this forum most of us are not employees. We work out of our home or have an office, albeit small, in a strip plaza.

I know we should take into account and probably make at least a mental note of potential hygiene factors that can make or break a deal but I wonder if we are capable of even recognizing such factors. In other words, not only can we recognize them in the client but can we recognize our own?

I know we like to think we can but let's take our personal temper as an example. We are sitting w/a potential client and he says something so stupid even Mother Teresa would pop a cork. I'd bet our hygiene factor jumps to the surface and we counter w/something just as stupid.

Obviously I don't know that for sure about everyone on this forum but I bet it is more prevalent than less prevelant. Anyway, take a few minutes and think about your hygiene factors and if you care to share, I know I'd love to read about them.

Enjoy,

Tom