Do we have a confidence problem?

A year or so ago, I sat in a meeting room in front of an enthusiastic candidate for a sales job. "Walk me through a typical day in your last job", I asked. Cue an uncomfortable silence. The candidate had prepared numbers, and case studies, researched the corporate website and considered a myriad of questions (and potential answers), but not ... well ... this.

"What do you mean?" they replied, shuffling awkwardly. "Well, quite literally, you get into the office, walk me through what happens next. How does your day go?".

Now, I wasn't doing this to elicit the aforementioned awkwardness but I do want to know how people tick. Are they the sort that hide behind their inbox? Do they try to delegate work? Do they prioritise? Are they out at meetings? Ultimately, how do they manage their time?

The candidate paused. "Well, I start by reviewing all the emails that came in overnight. I then see how many marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) there are. I might then call marketing to discuss these. I would then research the prospects I want to reach out to that day and start to prepare an email to engage them". I interrupt, "Ok, so what sort of time is it by now?", "Oh, probably close to lunch", they replied, "I usually do all my outbound work in the afternoon". OK, and what percentage of that is by phone and what is via email?" I ask. "Oh, it's all email, but as soon as they respond I try to get them on the phone pretty quick".

Suffice it to say, there wasn't another round.

I'm all for preparedness, but the procrastination in the air was palpable. The sense was that the candidate would do anything to delay the inevitable cold call and in today's sales culture that meant 'email first'. Bludgeoning the recipient through fact-based emails into taking a meeting - all in a message that looks remarkably like a variety of others they've received that very day.

It probably won't surprise you that according to Statista, by the end of 2023, it is estimated that the world will be sending around 347 billion emails each day and by 2026 this is due to reach 392 billion.

Take that in for a second. That's more than 43 emails for every human on the planet every day. And given only an estimated 65% of the world's population has access to email that's an awful lot of, well, let's be honest, spam!

So what's going on?

There is a lot at work here, but when it comes to outbound sales, too often candidates seem either deeply afraid of connecting to a stranger or for some reason believe that the days of the cold call or 'in-person' meeting are truly behind us. It would seem human connection and building rapport (perhaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown) has seen a shift in expectation.

But does it go deeper than that?

This summer I attended my 9-year-old son's sports day. He attends a great school with a huge focus on character, something I am very supportive of. However, one thing struck me. Everyone wins a prize. Whether you come 1st or 8th you proudly wear your sticker. Sure, the podium comes with a trophy or a medal, but everyone is awarded something.

On speech day, at the end of their final year, every child walks up to the stage to rapturous applause to collect a small trophy, book or commendation (sometimes for the most spurious of reasons). I admit, I have a dark sense of humour, so I often play a game to myself of 'guess the prize before it is announced'. But each child feels a pang of pride, each child 'wins'. It's hard not to be caught up in the positivity of the whole affair.

But is this right? Does it send the right message?

Are children learning to fail with this approach? Are they learning the important life skills of picking themselves up, handling disappointment and moving on? Do they see failure as the end of the road or an opportunity to learn from mistakes? Those children who perhaps aren't sporty don't have the binary outcomes that so often end a game. So is this creating a generation fearful of failure? Scared of phoning somebody they don't know in case it's a bad time or they don't get the answer they want?

It's not just salespeople. For every cold call, there's another on the other end of the phone that is equally faced with a new situation. One solution (sic), implemented by a large European bank seemed so simple - remove phones!

In her book 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success', American psychologist and Stanford University professor Carol Dweck explains how individuals typically exhibit one of two mindsets:

1.???? Fixed Mindset: those with a belief that their intelligence is fixed and cannot be changed. (These individuals are more likely to give up in the face of challenges and avoid difficult tasks)

2.???? Growth Mindset: those who believe that their intelligence can be developed through effort and hard work. (These are more likely to persevere in the face of challenges and seek out new challenges)

Dweck refers to this as 'grit', i.e. the ability to pick yourself up. In later life this may be a lost job or a change in circumstances, be it personal or professional. However, it is the research around motivation that is particularly interesting.

In one study, Dweck and her colleagues gave children a difficult puzzle to solve. They then praised the children for either their intelligence or their effort. The children who were praised for their intelligence were more likely to give up on a subsequent challenge, whilst the children who were praised for their effort were more likely to persevere.

This experiment shows that the way we deliver praise can have a significant impact on an individual's mindset and behaviour. Whether we are emphasising the results or the effort. By rewarding effort, individuals are more likely to stretch - often exceeding the initial expected results.

Whilst I paraphrase her book significantly she goes on to stipulate that mindset is not something that is fixed at birth. It is something that can be changed through experience and education.

In 2006, Angela Duckworth, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study at Westpoint Academy, the prestigious US military academy to investigate the role of grit in predicting the success rates of grade point averages (GPAs) of the +1,200 candidates enrolled that year. Each completed a questionnaire asking a range of questions about their views on perseverance and rating themselves from 'not at all' to 'very much' to how they view certain situations.

Duckworth found that those with a higher grit score, on the whole, scored higher GPAs. In fact, the results of this test proved to be a better predictor of success at West Point than IQ or other measures of cognitive ability.

So, what does all of this mean for the emerging generation of salespeople?

I believe that we need to start by acknowledging the changing landscape. Buyers are more educated and more demanding than ever before, but equally, they expect to do business with people they trust and who can provide them with consistent value.

To succeed in this new environment, salespeople need to develop a growth mindset. They need to believe that they can learn and grow and that they can overcome any challenge. They also need to be able to build rapport and trust with prospective buyers.

Here are a few tips for salespeople who want to develop a growth mindset:

• Focus on the process, not the outcome. Don't get discouraged. Focus on learning from each experience and improving your skills
• Set realistic, achievable goals and celebrate your progress along the way
• Don't be afraid to fail. Failure is a natural part of the learning process. Don't let it stop you from trying new things and taking risks
• Spend time with people who believe in you and who support your goals

And finally ...

It's clear that communication has changed dramatically in the last five years and has been seismic in the last ten. So a mixed means of outreach is expected. But at the end of the day, it's still about connection, building rapport, understanding requirements, doing good discovery work and being trustworthy.

Don't ignore email, social and other digital forms, but focus on the effort, the message. Focus on the latest trends and developments. Stay relevant. Stay informed. Adapt to change.

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