How Descriptive Praise Unlocks Sustained Sales Success

Through the years I've had quite the interest on Feedback. To such extent I've ran many training sessions on how to harness its power when done right. Which, spoiler alert, is rarely seen.

So I was delighted to read a broadsheet end-of-term report of what works in the context of young schoolchildren. And what decidedly does not.

What the mother's account crucially shows is how 'proper' praising is aligned to the fact that success blossoms when systems come before outcomes.

In her experience, a school "very sloppy about praise [where] everyone was unique and wonderful, and it was very anti-competition", bred failure. Whereas another school "praising effort, strategy and persistence supports intrinsic motivation far more than praising outcomes or traits" begets winners.

This Growth Mindset angle, as initially coined by Carol Dweck, can thankfully be translated into the salesroom.

Think of it also as 'targeted' or 'trait-focused' praise. And nor does it tack on negative filling as per The Praise Sandwich.

Take this example, as later refined by Noël Janis-Norton;

'This means you don’t just say, “I love your drawing,” you say, “What I love about your drawing is how you have filled the page, and all the wonderful colours you have used.” You will then get ten pages filled edge to edge with colourful drawings.'

I myself have come across the utterly useless participation medal vibe in a salesteam. One notable horror concerned an outpost of a multi-billion dollar tech concern. Incredibly, no-one got anywhere near target one particular year yet were awarded full commission regardless, in the name of 'marketing objectives'. Spurious, made-up and wholly irrelevant. Not to mention crushing for any future purpose, performance and ambitions.

It is the pursuit of refining your process which truly motivates superstar salespeople. Note to those in thrall to ABC of Always Be Closing type tropes; & not money (alone).

Also leaving praise for praise sake and overpraise behind. Instead, know when the requisite 'strategy' has been followed.

Focus on how an action relates to your process - that pattern of events that when in train practically guarantee you prevail - and reinforcing the problem you resolve, for those whom experience it, in the manner you uniquely bring them to their desired sunlit uplands.