Have you got the “Happinesss Advantage”?

I read more and more these days about how happiness boosts success at work. In sales some research suggests that happier people make 37% more sales!
I reckon there a few companies who would become very happy if they generated 37% more sales. Except it doesn’t work that way round. It’s no good someone who sells saying “When I sell loads more widgets I’ll be happy” or “when I hit my sales target I’ll feel great”. You might get a mini high – but it will quickly fade!

It works like this

To be great at selling, you need to generate a positive, happiness-based mindset first. Extra sales will then follow. Harvard calls this the “happiness advantage” — do you have it?
OK, you could now be thinking “show me to the happy store and I’ll (happily) go and buy some”. Well it’s not quite that simple. But neither is it that hard.
It’s about what YOU personally (and your team) can do to improve your/their happiness levels — and it’s about what your company can do too.

Increasing your happiness…what can companies do?

If you work for a company, or you ARE the company, there’s a whole set of measures that should be present to increase the happiness levels of whoever does your selling.

The Gallop organisation, having conducted research over 30 years, identify these crucial factors (amongst others) that staff enjoy to make it a great company to work for…

* They know what is expected of them (apparently up to 70% of employees are not clear about what is expected of them)
* They are able to use their talents every day
* They receive recognition or praise for good work.
* They know that someone at work cares about them as a person
* They have the opportunity to learn and grow
* They work for a company whose mission makes them feel like their work is important
* They have their ideas listened to

No mention of pay — and notice how little these measures would cost to implement. And…ignore this list and good sales people will leave, or be chronically unhappy. Either way, sales suffer.

Increasing your happiness…what can you do?

On a personal level you can train your brain in much the same way as you exercise your other muscles. Even seasoned adults can develop new habits and ultimately rewire the brain. You can influence your personal, inner level of happiness via for example the habits you cultivate, how you interact, how you manage stress.

There’s lots of research on the importance of happiness, which is thankfully taking the debate from ‘woo woo’ land to making a serious contribution to corporate policy. I was particularly struck by research exercises conducted by Shawn Accor (Havard Business Review), who concluded that engaging in one brief positive exercise every day for as little as three weeks can have a lasting impact.

I repeat (and fully endorse) his “instructions” here…

Choose one of the following five activities…

1. Jot down three things you are grateful for
2. Write a positive message to someone in your social support network
3. Meditate at your desk for two minutes
4. Exercise for ten minutes
5. Take two minutes to describe in a journal the most meaningful experience of the last 24 hours
Perform your chosen activity every day for three week.

If you achieve the results Shawn Accor achieved with his group, you’ll become significantly happier — and stay that way for months after you stop doing the exercise (why stop anyway?)

And that’s by just doing ONE of those activities.

Try it – get your team to try it. You’ll get more sales success!

The psychology of selling.
Until next time…

Leigh