It’s often said that there’s ‘nothing new’ in the world of sales, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some secrets that only the best organisations appear to know…
Gallup discovered the first secret years ago: employee engagement boosts organisational performance. In their article The Secret of Higher Performance in the Gallup Business Journal in 2011, they found that ‘work units’ (a charming term, referring to your team-members) that score high in employee engagement ‘essentially double their odds of success’.
More recent research uncovered another secret: people who know and use their strengths – and the companies they work for – tend to be better performers.
This performance translates into lower staff turnover, greater productivity and greater profitability. Research by Towers Perrin indicates that highly engaged employees generate 19% higher operating income.
In other words: People who are engaged are more successful and success helps people engage in their work. So it seems that success moves in a circular motion – it reinforces itself in a wonderful cycle of motivation and greatness.
We’re all stars
Each one of us – yes, you too! – is naturally inclined towards success at some things. We just have an inbuilt talent in some areas; maybe sales, perhaps timekeeping, or maybe we’re great at organising and managing others?
Whatever our strengths, organisations that support and reinforce them with the materials and tools needed to do a good job and develop our skills and experience to transform good into excellent are the organisations that are more successful at everything they do.
How?
In order to make the most of your sales talent, the first thing you need to do is establish each individual’s strengths. It may be surprising to learn that many of us are not fully aware of what our own strengths are!
A ‘Sales Talent Assessment’ is a great tool for providing a picture of an individual’s strengths as well as their motivators and their potential for further development. Studies show that giving managers feedback on their strengths leads to 12% greater productivity and 8% greater profitability in their teams. Feedback has also been shown to increase engagement, which as we’ve seen is linked to huge success.
And then?
Once their strengths have been identified, individuals can work on developing them further through training and development. And when learners feel like experts in their particular area, they’ll be willing to share these ideas and skills with others. They’ll collaborate more effectively with others in the team, which leads to better performance, greater success and higher engagement levels.
It’s all pretty wonderful, when you think about it. Want to find out more? Click the button below to read our white paper on engagement!
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