Positive Mental Attitude in Sales – Shawn Achor

You are 37% better at sales when you . . .

According to psychologist Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage and founder of Good Think Inc., having a Positive Mental Attitude makes you 37% better at sales. Therefore, the foundation for building a successful sales organization starts with having a positive mental attitude.

At a Ted Conference that took place in May 2011, Achor argues that happiness inspires productivity. He presents a very interesting case around the brain, the power of positive thinking, and the results of achieving happiness. He believes that we need to reverse the formula for happiness and train our brain to become more positive.

Achor examines the Happiness Advantage and asserts the power it has to create: Better Secure Jobs, Better Keeping Jobs, Superior Productivity, More Resiliency, Less Burnout, Less Turnover, Greater Sales!

According to research done on the power of a Positive Mental Attitude:

• Only 25% of job success is predicted by IQ.
• 75% of job success is predicted by your optimism level, your social support, your ability to view stress as a challenge instead of as a threat.
• If you can raise somebody's level of positivism in the present then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive, performs significantly better than it does at negative, neutral or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises and your energy levels rise.
• Your brain at positive is 31% more productive than your brain is at negative, neutral or stressed. You're 37% better at sales.

Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

A culture that can thrive and grow with positive reinforcement is one that is built for the future and that can sustain itself over time.

I attribute much of Treeline's success to the positive mental attitude of the employees that work here. As an organization that was voted Boston Best Places to Work we have fostered a culture that achieves success because of the positive attitude of the team. The Treeline team embraces a positive attitude every day we walk through the front door and I believe it is a key contributor to our success.

We meet with hundreds of Sales Managers and Executives throughout the year. In most instances, we have the opportunity to pull back the curtain and see the sales environments that exist in today's market. We have found that the most dynamic and positively charged sales environments are the most successful. These environments are contagious in nature and they grow quickly. The team is motivated to sell, recruit and grow and when all players row in the same direction companies experience significant growth. These companies build momentum and find their wind at their backs and find much success when recruiting talent.