Phew! I
thoughts things were supposed to get quieter over the summer? Not this summer!
It’s
been all go on the training front. Very enjoyable too. It’s my mission to help
people and organisations to make more sales and it’s incredibly rewarding to
watch people develop their skills and improve their results right before my
eyes.
It's
clear to me that those who develop their skills and results the most have one
thing in common...their ability and willingness to accept feedback - and use
it.
The
essence of feedback
Everything
you do creates a result. Some results you love. Some results you don't. Develop
your mindset so you get to treat it all as feedback on how you're doing and
crucial pointers on how to operate in future.
Imagine
a world where the only feedback you received was that you are wonderful,
brilliant and amazing! Sounds fabulous doesn’t it? But if that's all you ever
heard from people what do you think would happen? You would probably become
complacent and at best your results would plateau and at worst you'd decline.
You
need feedback
You
absolutely need feedback on the areas where you're perhaps not that great
(yet!). If nobody tells you... how are you going to improve? There’s a fair
chance that on your own you won’t easily identify those areas where you can
improve. So be receptive to the help of others.
Many
people are only comfortable giving positive feedback. The results being that
you only get to hear the good stuff. Yet it’s often the ‘developmental’
feedback that generates greater learning and development. If this developmental
type of feedback is ever given, it’s often delivered in a clumsy manner by
someone who is very uncomfortable delivering it as attempt to justify a pay
freeze despite telling you all year you’ve been doing well! Or it’s delivered
at the wrong time i.e. the first time you find out about your weaknesses is
during a heated exchange!
Are
you getting enough?
Congratulations
if you already get excellent, constructive feedback to help you grow your
success... and yes, do thank the people that have the confidence to tell you.
If
you don't get that kind of feedback... and in a way that makes it palatable for
you to absorb - then you need to instigate the feedback you desire to grow
your skills and your sales success.
You
also need to accept feedback in the spirit of which it's meant. Getting all
defensive and making excuses for why you did what you did won't get you very
far. It will also put people off giving you the feedback you need. Accept it
graciously, thank them... then reflect.
You
haven't got to agree
By
the way, you haven't necessarily got to agree with them. Remember it's their
feedback based on their map of the world. Consider though that if they have
this perspective, others may too.
So
when asking for feedback, be very specific with your questions to help the
person help you. If you're not used to getting this kind of feedback and are a
little unnerved by the responses you might get... get over it! This is the only
way to continual improvement.
Remember...no
failures - it's feedback. You’re on a journey.
Ask
for it. Welcome it. Act on it.
Until
next time..
Leigh
The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes identifies
those key mistakes that are stopping sales teams, companies and business owners
fulfilling their sales potential. The report establishes how to identify these
errors, indicates how they can be eliminated - and sets out how to avoid them.
020 7903 5426
No comments:
Post a Comment