When You Look Up Positivity In The Dictionary There Should Be A Picture Of Her…
A few days ago I had to fly to Atlanta on business. My flight had a layover in Charlotte for a couple of hours. I got off the plane feeling more than a little sorry for myself. I had been on a packed flight in a middle seat and I was flying with 2 ruptured discs in my neck. So all in all, I was one miserable traveler. I walked into the ladies restroom in Charlotte’s Terminal B next to Gate 4. I heard her before I saw her. As I rounded the corner into the restroom she said, “Welcome, welcome, welcome! Welcome to Charlotte!” I looked up and saw her wide smile and bright eyes. She looked genuinely happy to see me. She was the restroom attendant. “How are you today? Are you doing ok?” I smiled and said hello and quickly headed for my stall. I listened though as the attendant continued to greet every single person who came in, complimented some, asked questions of others, and wished people safe travels as they left.
As I sat there in the restroom listening, I was struck by how much energy and enthusiasm she had for every single person who was in there, and how sincere she sounded. As I washed my hands at the sink, I took quick glances at her down the long aisle way of the restrooms. I could see how people were responding to her. Sure there were a few who just nodded and even a couple who barely acknowledged her. But most of the people were instantly transformed as if they had just met up with a long lost friend. They quickly chatted with her and thanked her before exiting with a big smile on their faces.
This woman was remarkable and I knew I had to find out more about her. I approached her and asked her if she had a break coming up any time soon. She said she didn’t but asked me how she could help me and if there was something I needed. I told her that I was a talent analyst and explained the work that I did and told her that she was the perfect example of someone with the trait of Positivity. I asked her if I could interview her and ask a few questions while she worked. Luckily for me, she agreed. As she answered my questions she didn’t miss a beat, still engaging each person who entered or left. She helped Mom’s with stroller and Grandma’s with walkers. She found something personal to say to every single person she encountered.
For years I have stressed to managers the importance of hiring salespeople with the innate strength/behavior called Positivity. The Gallup Organization defines Positivity as someone who is generous with praise, quick to smile, the type of person others want to be around. People who have this trait have contagious enthusiasm and find a way to lift the spirits of others. They celebrate every achievement and make things more vital and exciting. They believe that work can be fun and no matter what the set backs you have to keep your sense of humor.
The first thing I asked the restroom attendant was what her name was, and she said, “Mary Love.” Can you believe it? What a perfect name for her. I asked her how long she had been working here and she said two years and that she loves her job. “I love making people smile, there’s not enough of that in the world. I welcome people and bless them and pamper them by keeping my restroom clean so that I make a difference.”
I asked her if people were ever nasty to her or unappreciative when she talked to them. She said that rarely happened and even when it did it didn’t bother her because, “Those people are a blessing too, so I don’t let that bother me.” I asked her if when she went through her training for this position if she was instructed to greet people. She said, “No, I just started doing it…I say what comes out of my heart. I feel like this is my purpose in life, to make a difference in people’s day.”
Wow. “I feel like this is my purpose in life, to make a difference in people’s day.” Those words from her are so powerful and such a great example of the power of positivity in your work. Well, Ms. Mary Love you certainly did that for me. After I finished talking with you, got a hug from you, and a quick picture, I walked to my next gate with a very different attitude and outlook from the one I had when I walked into that restroom.
In fact, her Positivity was still on my mind when my connecting flight landed in Atlanta, and the usual thing happened. The seat belt light goes off, folks begin gathering their belongings, and there are always those people who rush up from the rows behind you rather than waiting to exit when it is their row’s turn. Now what always goes through my mind at this point is my fantasy where I stand up and yell, “Hey – get back to your row! You are not THAT important, wait your turn like the rest of us!!!” and with eyes cast down they skulk back to their seats. Yah right. But this time as I started to feel the slow boil begin, it was quickly cooled by hearing Mary’s words echo in my brain, “Those people are blessings too.” If you know me even a little, you know how NOT like me it is to have that thought.
Mary told me that my interviewing her was a wonderful birthday gift. But I knew the real gift was the one she gave to me and hundreds of other people every day. Her birthday is May 9th and I would love the readers of this article help make her birthday special. Please leave her a Happy Birthday wish in the comment box below. She asked me to send her the link to this post because she was eager to read it, so I know she will see your comments.
Thank you Ms. Mary Love of Charlotte, North Carolina and Happy Birthday.
Ok, granted we are building sales teams not atom bombs. But think about what he says as it applies to a sales team. If he’s right that the difference between the best and average is about 30%, what could your sales team accomplish if it was 30% better?
By keeping those C-players you are also impacting your A-players. Not only do they typically not want to be surrounded by those of lesser talent, they also find it de-motivating. It’s like a pro tennis player playing a match against a junior. Not only isn’t it fun, it can degrade your skills because people tend to “play down” to the level they are playing against. A-players are motivated by other A-players and push themselves because they want to stay in the top group and be respected by those top people.
2. What do you think? By saying this, you are telling the salesperson that you value her opinion and want input. You are opening the door to a collaborative relationship. Asking for other’s opinions show you respect their knowledge and expertise. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything suggested, but it tells you where the salesperson’s head is at on a particular issue and will help you incorporate that into your decisions. Once you know what the salesperson is thinking you can steer the conversation with phrase #3…
4. How can I help? So many times salespeople feel that they are fighting an uphill battle within their own companies. Battling with paperwork, bureaucracy, and other departments often makes it seem that they are at cross purposes with some of their co-workers. And that’s just inside the company. Now add on all the obstacles they have to overcome with clients. Salespeople need to feel like their sales manager will move walls for them and do whatever she can to help make that sale happen. Just simply saying, “How can I help you” is powerful. You are telling the salesperson you understand the situation and validating the frustration many salespeople feel.
7. I don’t know. These are hard words for most managers to say. It seems so counter-intuitive to say, “I don’t know” and think that a salesperson will respect us MORE for saying it. But it’s true. It’s ok not to have all the answers. In fact, some of the best, most creative solutions come from not knowing an answer and seeking out information. A close relative to this phrase is “Let me think about that.” Salespeople are persuasive and usually want an answer or decision from you immediately. And certainly there are many times when a quick decision is warranted. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that everything has to be decided this minute. Sometimes, a little reflection or time to seek out additional information is what elevates someone to being a leader and not only a manager.
9. Let me play Devil’s Advocate for a moment. This is a terrific way to give feedback to a salesperson when you want to show her another way something might be handled. It allows you to demonstrate the flaws in a plan, but in a de-personalized way. Rather than telling the salesperson, “I think you should do xyz,” you are simply pointing out what “others” might object to or say.
10. Thank you. Yes, it’s simple. So easy, right? Maybe. But probably the most common complaint I’ve heard from salespeople over the years is a variation on, “My sales manager didn’t appreciate me.” Saying “thank you” is recognition of the work a salesperson is doing. It shows the salesperson you are engaged, you noticed, and you appreciate it.
enjoying their job. While the survey was not done only with salespeople, I have to think, given the social nature of most salespeople, that this would be a key factor among them as well. Additionally the study found that only 55% thought money was the most important thing. (Ok, that percentage might not be as high among salespeople!) I think this survey’s findings* on the importance of having a connection with your co-workers, further underscores the need for every newly hired salesperson to have a sales “buddy” or what I like to call a “Sales Pal.”
Need more convincing? 87% of the top 100 training programs used a mentoring/buddy system as part of their onboarding for new hires.** 
A Sales Pal is someone who takes on the role of a “player/coach” with your new hire. The Sales Pal is there as a resource and peer adviser. A Sales Pal should be a superior performer (not necessarily someone who has been there the longest) and have good interpersonal skills and a desire to coach and help others.
The Sales Pal should be someone that the new hire can easily relate to and can trust completely. One of the purposes of this role is to create an informal environment in which the employee can ask and receive information about the ins and outs of how things work in your department and in your company. These may be questions that the new hire would be hesitant to ask you, because you are the boss. Besides, what if it’s a question about how to best handle you?!
Provide the Sales Pal with any tools that might be needed to be effective. Go over with the Sales Pal what your expectations are for how this person will help the new hire and how you envision the person maximizing the relationship. Give pointers on coaching and effective communication skills. You should monitor how things are going periodically. Check in with both the new hire and the Sales Pal to get input from each on the process. If it is not working, or not a good fit, consider a change to someone different. You can always position it as you want to expose the new hire to different types of successful sellers.
My Manager Was A Control Freak – One of the top reasons salespeople are drawn to sales in the first place is the opportunity to work independently and feel they have control over their business. They are entrepreneurial and look at sales as running their own small business operation. If they feel their manager is watching every move they make, it feels insulting and implies you don’t trust them. Holding people accountable? Absolutely. But that does not mean micro-managing. Micro-management just does not work with top performing salespeople.
My Manager Didn’t Appreciate Me – Sound egotistical? Maybe, but a strong ego drive is crucial to successful selling so why are so many sales managers surprised that their salespeople need ego stroking? Recognition and praise are critical components to managing people successfully but I think this is particularly important with salespeople who deal with far more rejection than successes. They need to know their manager understands what they face each day, and appreciates it. Sure praising a great sale is good – but that is expected. Praise and recognition for other aspects of the job like creating a great presentation, helping the client achieve an objective, developing strong client relationships, even getting paperwork in on time – now that, a salesperson will remember. Keeping a salesperson engaged and motivated is paramount and is a direct indicator of how long that person will be with you, and more important – how effective! 
My Manager Played Favorites – Sure this might sound a little like “teacher’s pet” finger pointing, but perception is reality. Salespeople do tend to be hyper-alert to whether or not they are on a level playing field with their fellow sellers. I think this is because salespeople are usually quite competitive by nature. And, wouldn’t you be frustrated if you thought the person(s) you are competing against had an unfair advantage over you?
manager who is a “credit hog” and takes the credit for a salesperson’s success; the egotistical sales manager who is all about being “the boss” – you know the type, they refer to the sales team as “MY sales team”; and the sales manager who positions everything to upper management in a way that makes him or her look like the hero. When coaching new sales managers I tell them if you shine the spotlight on yourself you’ll soon be playing to an empty house, shine the spotlight on the achievements of your salespeople and they will make you a star.
My Manager Was A Liar – This one is simple to avoid. Don’t make promises unless you are 100% sure you can keep them. And if you make a promise, back it up 100%. Salespeople are expert at nailing people down and getting an answer. It’s called closing! As a sales manager, you are spinning a lot of plates and it is easy to give a quick “yes” to get something resolved quickly. But that can come back to haunt you and cause problems later if you can’t deliver. It’s better to say, “I’m not sure” and set a time to revisit the issue than to be seen by your salespeople as someone who doesn’t live up to his commitments.
Compensation – When a salesperson leaves because of money (although numerous research studies have shown that this is RARELY the top reason a salesperson quits) it is usually because he or she feels they are being stifled or “capped” on their income potential. Most salespeople are motivated by the concept of “the harder I work, the more I sell, the more money I make.” If that is taken away (whether it is perception or in reality) it can severely de-motivate the salesperson.
they are working with sub-par sellers. Quite simply, talented people want to work with talented people. If a salesperson feels that they are surrounded by other salespeople who are not as motivated to achieve, the salesperson starts to wonder, “Why am I here?” Top salespeople are energized by other successful salespeople because they like to measure their success against what their co-workers have achieved. It doesn’t feel like a win if you are Michael Jordan and you slam dunk on a high school kid.
Lack of Tools, Training, or Leadership – It is important to salespeople that they work in a culture where they feel the company is investing in them. This means having the tools and support they need to be effective salespeople. And, that includes having an 
Make sure you have sent out an email to all employees ahead of time announcing the hiring with information about the salesperson, so that employees can extend a warm welcome. Include the new hire’s email address (with his or her permission) and ask employees to reach out before he or she starts with a welcome email note.
