Prioritizing Sellers’ Health, Happiness and Security to Maximize Productivity
Sellers who are working extra hours and taking on more projects are not always the employees who perform the best. In fact, this poor habit can lead sellers to make more mistakes, miss client meetings, and have a higher turnover rate.
The first steps in creating a culture where sellers thrive? A quote from The 11th Habit written by Habits at Work’s CEO, Andrew Sykes, and Hanlie Van Wyk:
“What appears to be obvious is the idea that employees should be worked as hard as possible, that longer hours equal more and better work and improved results. The problem is there is just no research to support that view. Instead, our decade-long look at this question has made it compellingly clear: companies that excel at helping their employees to succeed in life, to have the health, happiness, and security they say they want, are the companies that will enjoy a sustainable competitive advantage.”
The significance of the 11th habit is that most sales leaders leave the habit of self care to the 11th hour. In other words, leaders do not prioritize the self care of their sellers until it is too late.
We found that sellers need these three things in order to be successful at their job:
Health
There is a wealth of research showing positive correlations between healthy habits and performance. For example, stepping up your level of exercise improves your stamina, cognitive function, and your emotional health. Sleeping better enables you to think and perform better, to make fewer mistakes, and to be less absent from work.
Imagine how many more deals your sellers would successfully close when they get a good night’s sleep and some exercise!
Happiness
People with happy moods solve problems 20 percent more creatively when compared to people with neutral moods, and 33 percent more compared to people with sad moods. Positive moods can boost attention, spur individuals to take action, and increase one’s creative thinking ability.
Security
Research has shown that 25 percent of employees report decreased productivity due to financial stresses, and 50 percent admit taking time out of their workday to handle personal financial issues. Financial well-being, on the other hand, is positively correlated with sellers’ productivity.
Sellers with good financial wellness usually receive high performance ratings and rarely spend work time on personal financial issues.
Because of our failure as sales leaders to link health, happiness and security to performance, we overlook simple ways to help our sellers perform better. The first step in creating a culture that truly values our sellers is by prioritizing the 11th habit, self care.
A common trap that many companies fall into is instilling a culture that pressures sellers to work longer hours and take on too many accounts at a time. Instead, build a culture that enables sellers to take personal days when needed, encourages them to take work breaks to head to the gym or exercise, or work outside for a few hours each day. There are many simple ways to improve the health, happiness and security of your sellers, and we are here to help.
Don’t fall into the trap of leaving the habit of self care until the 11th hour. Instead, use our Expert Move and prioritize seller self care, before it’s too late.
Sellers who take care of themselves have the capacity and energy to be high-performance employees. In turn, they help sales leaders create high-performance companies and thriving workplace cultures. Our book, The 11th Habit, shows how to design a company that makes it easy and natural for sellers to care for themselves and perform at the highest level.
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Sicilee Williams
Digital Marketing Manager