In today’s #SalesInsights blog post I want to look at sales mindset training. There is a huge body of research out there that tells us that coaching works; many sales leaders I work with tell me that finding the time to coach their team is difficult with all the other demands they are dealing with and yet, three hours coaching per month can make the difference between an individual excelling in their sales targets or under-achieving.
But more than performance and organisational growth, effective coaching also has the ability to change an individual’s mindset and this can have a significant impact on both their personal growth and development, and ultimately your overall sales team’s fortunes.
Fixed mindset versus growth mindset
According to Dr Carol Dweck in the book Mindset, people can be generally categorised into one of the following:
Fixed Mindset:
- You see failure as a negative, to be avoided at all costs
- You prefer to stick to safe/tried and tested methods and avoid risky decisions
- You are output goal orientated, focusing on the results
- You rely on your natural ability/talent to achieve sales targets
Growth Mindset:
- You see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow
- You are prepared to take risks and make changes in the pursuit of improvement and growth
- You are input goal orientated, focusing on the effort you’re putting in rather than on the final outcome
- You recognise the current gaps in your skills/capabilities and actively seek opportunities to develop these
In addition the research conducted by Dr Carol Dweck concluded that the type of praise given to people could influence them over time to demonstrate a more fixed or growth mindset. Where praise was focused on the result of an activity, a fixed mindset emerged, whereas praise focused on the inputs or efforts required to achieve the result tended to promote a growth mindset.
Whilst we’re not suggesting you start taking undue risks and take your eye off your sales targets, developing a growth mindset within your team by praising input and activity rather than just looking at results will encourage them to look beyond the limitations they apply (often unconsciously) to their decision-making process.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?
Even if you’re not actively looking to change and grow, you need to consider the impact of a fixed mindset on increased sales. What happens when things outside of your control start changing your ability to hit those sales targets, eg; new competitors, the loss of a big customer, even a global recession? Such big changes force us to react in some way and those with fixed mindsets, used to doing things a certain way, are too often unable to react fast enough. Conversely, those with growth mindsets are more resilient to change and by nature of being a step ahead of the rest, have often predicted the change before it even occurs.
If you’ve got any many further questions on sales coaching for growth and development, get in touch at steve@salestrong.co.uk.
Found this post helpful? For more coaching tips, take a look at our post on Most Effective Sales Team Coaching Tips here.
