Really, there are many benefits for those that are happy. In his groundbreaking book, “Authentic Happiness”, Dr. Martin Seligman defines happiness as a positive emotion and, therefore, the understanding and application of these positive emotions as Positive Psychology. Several years ago, Rick Snyder, a professor at Kansas University and consequently the father of Positive Psychology, demonstrated to millions among the great Morning America television audience the facility of positive emotions. He tested the whole cast and crew of the show, and Charles Gibson emerged together, among the group, having the only positive emotions, by an outsized margin. He then proceeded to demonstrate the facility of these positive emotions by testing the cast and crew to ascertain how long they might hold their hand in sub-freezing water. Most can last only sixty to ninety seconds, but Charles Gibson outlasted all by several seconds and kept his hand emerged within the freezing water, grinning, not grimacing on into the break.
Happiness Matters
Scientists have proven that happier people live longer, can endure more pain and more disappointment than unhappy people. What’s happiness, anyway?
There are two general sorts of happiness; short-term, the type of happiness that you simply experience once you win the lottery, or the more enduring long-term kind you enjoy once you have stayed the course, resisted drugs, gotten an education, and married an honest woman or man.
Both are good, but the long-term kind is best. I think that happier people, those with enduring quite a happiness, not only live longer but are more successful in sales roles than unhappy people. Our recent study of a small but remarkably successful sales team may be a startling example of what I mean.
Happiness Brings Its Reward
A minor land sales and development firm that sells developed land to end-users and entry-level homes to similar buyers believes within the value of happiness. one among their projects consistently wins top honors for sales achievements, year in and year out. Some say it’s due to the proximity to Houston and, therefore, the general great thing about the project that’s responsible for its popularity. But, a careful inspection of the facts reveals otherwise.
This project is good, but there are many far more attractive and conveniently located. Yet, the project sales team consistently sells lots valued at $75,000,000 per annum. Sales during this subdivision are over twice as great and anything they need ever experienced. In an attempt to know why, hoping that if we did, we might be ready to replicate it elsewhere, we looked to ascertain what we couldn’t see about this group of high-achieving salespeople.
The salespeople during this particular project didn’t appear to be superhuman, but their results might indicate otherwise. There are seven people on this sales team, and last year the 5th year of the project, all seven earned commissions of more than $250,000. A minimum of two salespeople earned the maximum amount of $750,000. Over the last three years, this team averaged sales equaling $75,000,000 annually—remarkable results, without a doubt. Several interviews with each member of the sales team added some fascinating insight.
Did they need Anything In Common?
Using two psychometric tools, Target Training International’s TriMetrix, and Multiple Health System’s EQi that measures Job Skills, Capacity, Values, Motivators, and Emotional Intelligence, we were surprised to seek out just one factor that consistently appeared among this group of high-performing sales people-Happiness.
Based on that study, we began screening sales candidates for happiness. The result has improved our ability to predict sales success by 47 percent. The question which may naturally surface is, how can we create an environment where happiness is the rule instead of the exception?
Here are some suggestions offered by Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D. author of Authentic Happiness:
1. Hire people living within us of America.
2. Hire people that are married.
3. stand back from negative or pessimistic people.
4. Build a premier, robust network of friends and colleagues.
5. Hire folks that sleep in accordance with a life system.
Seligman says the subsequent, while popular, have a little lasting effect on long-term happiness:
1. Making extra money.
2. Staying healthy.
3. Getting more education.
4. Changing your race (as if you could).
5. Moving to a sunnier climate.
Connecting the Dots!
If you’re employed to rent happy people, you’ll not necessarily improve sales, but you’ll be tons closer thereto.
Stephen J. Blakesley, Managing Partner, GMS Talent LP, is an author and a speaker. His two, most up-to-date books, “The Target-The Secret to Superior Performance” ([http://target.tatepublishing.net]) and Strategic Hiring – Tomorrow’s Benefits today (one of the highest 50 business books of 2006 consistent with Business Book Review) are top resources for business owners, managers, and C-Level executives.
