(1 minute read)
Dr Martin Seligman is highly regarded as the founder of Positive Psychology.
He has used research and case studies to demonstrate the benefits of a positive attitude toward business (and sales) success.
One case study involved insurance company Metropolitan Life, who were spending $30,000 on sales training – for each salesperson recruited.
However, 80% of these recruits did not meet expectations and left the business after a short tenure.
Seligman started testing job candidates for optimism, and his results proved that soft skills do produce hard sales results.
Salespeople who scored high in optimism sold 33% more insurance than those who scored lower.
After two years, these optimistic salespeople were thriving in their positions. Staff turnover decreased and sales increased because Metropolitan Life focused on hiring for optimism, not just hard selling skills.
Seligman’s study of this one trait, and the positive impact it has upon emerging sales professionals, should encourage us to further explore and develop other sales ‘behaviours’ which can lead to improved sales performance.