How important is feedback in improving sales performance....?

It's time for another edition of the?"Winning Sales Mindset" newsletter. This newsletter is specifically for individuals who want to get better at selling. Each week, I will be sharing hints and tips that apply if you are a business owner, CEO, sales leader, sales manager, or salesperson.?These hints and tips are all designed to help you create a winning mindset for improving sales.

It has been some time since the last newsletter and in the next few days, I will be sharing some exciting news about developments with Ventas. With regards to these developments, I have been taking the opportunity to listen to feedback from current and existing clients, previous colleagues, mentors, and business contacts. This exercise has provided me with the opportunity to reflect on the importance of feedback.

So let's understand why feedback is so important, why most of us dread receiving feedback, and what steps we can take to be more receptive to feedback.

Whilst this newsletter is aimed at those working in the sales profession, I am sure that the lessons can be applied to other aspects of both professional and personal life.

So why is feedback so important and even essential?

• Sales is a profession that is based on delivering results and more importantly, bringing in revenue. There is probably no other role in a business where there is a clear link between your performance and your results. Salespeople are supposed to be like elite sportspeople or elite athletes. Professional sportspeople thrive on feedback from both their teammates and also their coaches. They see it as an opportunity to grow and develop. Without feedback, how can we improve...?
• Those individuals who are at the top of their profession, whether it is in sales or sports, are continually striving to be better than their competition. Apart from consistently working on both their skill sets and their mindset, they devour feedback, seeing it as positive encouragement and not criticism
• Feedback is a gift and as one of my mentors once said, "feedback is the breakfast of champions" If someone takes the time to provide you with feedback, whether you agree with it or not, remember that the individual who provides that feedback probably genuinely cares about you improving as an individual.

Why do we dread receiving feedback?

• Well, first of all, feedback can make us feel uncomfortable as it can highlight areas where we are weak or require further development. Whilst most of us want to learn and grow, we also want to be accepted just as we are.
• We prefer to give others feedback, than receive feedback from others. Going out on the attack and being critical of others' performance, takes the spotlight away from our development areas.
• As humans, we all want to be liked and when someone provides us with feedback about our performance, we can feel like crawling under the covers metaphorically. This is because we are programmed to protect ourselves and we can view feedback as unwelcome criticism.

What steps can we take to be more receptive to feedback?

• First of all remember that we are constantly receiving feedback from friends, family, colleagues, clients, and our direct reports. We are assessed, coached, and criticised about our performance, personalities, and appearance daily.
• Rather than trying to defend the feedback, have a growth mindset and use the opportunity to ask for context about the feedback. When you receive feedback, be intentional about taking action to improve other's perceptions about your development areas.
• If you are feeling really brave, undertake a 360 exercise, which asks other people for feedback on both your strengths and development areas. This type of feedback can either be anonymous or the people giving the specific feedback can choose to be named.

Finally, if you want to know more about feedback, then I highly recommend you read an excellent book called "Thanks for the Feedback" by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen.

Interested to hear people's feedback on the newsletter and also any interesting stories on either giving or receiving feedback.

Have a great week everyone

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