Increased Productivity Will Be Your Reward

There are countless means through which sales leaders can impact the performance of their sales teams, and cultivating the right mindset may be among the most powerful. Fostering positivity among your sales team isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. According to Shawn Achor, author of Positive Intelligence, research proves that when people work with a positive mindset, performance on nearly every level improves, including productivity, creativity and engagement. Achor cites sweeping research that revealed happy employees have, on average, 31% higher productivity and 37% higher sales. Interestingly, there is broad misunderstanding about the correlation between happiness and success. Most people believe that success proceeds happiness when, in fact, happiness is a key driver of success.

‍LEAD BY EXAMPLE
‍As the sales leader, your words and actions have the single biggest impact on the demeanor, attitude and perspective of each team member. Make a conscious effort to model the behaviors and attitudes you desire on your sales team. Consider the attributes below and your opportunity to foster each on your team:

• ‍Confidence. Do you exude a can-do attitude relative to sales objectives, new business opportunities and the overall outlook for your company and industry
• ‍Gratitude. Feeling under-appreciated is nearly universal among sales leaders. Yet it is likely we all have room to improve our own thoughts and communication of gratitude, toward our sales team, support staff, company leadership and, above all, toward our customers!
• ‍Encouragement. Never miss an opportunity to verbalize your confidence in the ability of your sales team, individually and collectively.
• ‍Forgiveness. Life is not fair; life in sales is even less so. It is so easy (and commonplace) to focus on the most recent error, rejection or customer antic. Here, too, sales leaders must set the example by rolling with the punches, shaking off setbacks and maintaining a positive, forward-looking approach.

Finally, think about the energy you bring when you walk into a room of your sales reps. As sales leaders, our energy should be the kind that lifts, motivates, inspires and reassures the team. Certainly, there are moments in which every sales leader needs to depart from the cheerleader role, brimming with positivity, to that of supervisor, which requires us to deliver direct/critical feedback to members of our sales team. But these occasions should very much be the exception and should always be delivered privately.

Following these guidelines will foster an environment of positivity that drives greater productivity among your sales team, and one in which your sales team sees you not just as their supervisor, but as their champion, chief supporter and as a valuable resource.