Building a Great Sales Culture

Want to build a great sales culture? Have a habit of gratitude.

Sales organizations invest time and money into building strong cultures. They read books on why culture eats strategy for lunch, hold team-building events and listen to pundits touting the value of culture. But, I think corporate America is making this too difficult. Building a great sales culture might be as simple as instilling one daily habit: the habit of gratitude.

Are you rolling your eyes? Don’t, and instead, pay attention to a study published last year in the Journal of Positive Psychology. Researchers tracked the lives of gratitude in more than 500 adolescents. Not surprisingly, the study revealed the more gratitude they showed, the stronger the relationships with
their peers. Their positive dispositions make them more attractive and likable. Incorporate more gratitude into your sales culture to build better cultures.

Grateful people are likeable people, and likeability is at the core of building trust and relationships, internal and external, which is good for business.

When you demonstrate or receive gratitude, it activates the reward center of the brain releasing the feel-good hormone of dopamine. And this hormone is the same hormone that causes people to overeat and overdrink. So let’s use dopamine for good.

Hard-charging sales managers, take a timeout. Apply the EQ skill of self-awareness and see if you are acknowledging what your sales teams is doing well. If you are like most Type A personalities (I am speaking to the choir), you probably have a tendency to focus on fixing problems, rather than
recognizing what’s working well. Write a personal note, NOT an email, to members of your sales team, and acknowledge them for their efforts, great attitudes and willingness to go the extra mile.

Salespeople, you also can take a timeout. Thank the departments in your organization that make sales happen. Yes, I know, you bring in the business. But other departments often service the sale after the sale, send invoices or ship the product, which retains business. Write a note of gratitude. Instead of
going to lunch with a peer, treat a member from another department. Give your colleagues a dopamine bump today!

I promise you that no one goes home and complains about being overappreciated!

If you want to build great sales cultures, it might be as simple as a daily dose of gratitude. Make it your new sales key performance metric.

Good Selling!