Automotive Sales Management
"Criticism Gets You Nowhere" By: Mike Whitty
"Do you know a salesperson that you would like to change and improve?
Good! I am all in favor of it. But why not begin on yourself? From a purely selfish standpoint, that is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others – and a lot less dangerous."
Criticizing others rarely does any good because people are not creatures of logic, they are creatures of emotion. Very rarely will you criticize someone and hear them respond with "Why thank you, I see you are correct and I shall improve immediately."
No, criticism is a dangerous spark that usually brings out every unhappy thought in your head the other person has. When we feel attacked (which is what being told you are wrong feels like), we usually respond in one of two ways, 1) with hurtful emotion or 2) defensive anger. Neither of which is productive in the least.
Can you remember a time when someone criticized you? Do you remember how you REACTED? Did their criticism do any good? Did it inspire you to improve? Probably not, it rarely does. How do you feel about that person today?
As Managers, we often stumble and destroy good lessons for our salespeople by criticizing them for their mistakes. In so doing, we create anger and hurt directed at us, instead of letting the natural consequences of the mistake teach the lesson.
Benjamin Franklin said his secret to success was to" speak ill of no man and speak all the good I know of everybody." This is a good policy.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving. It is also a much smarter way to live.
Instead of criticizing, try stepping into your salespeople's world. Ask them questions, find out where they are and how they feel about an issue. Validate them as a human being by caring about what they think and feel. As you question, you may learn things about this person which explains the problem. You may then, have the opportunity to show up for them (not to advise or fix them) but offer to show up for them in a different way.
This approach will lead to more solutions, improvements and change than any amount of criticism ever could.
To find out more about Mike Whitty and Salesperson, Inc., visit www.mikewhitty.com and www.slpinc.net.
Reprinted with permission from: Mike Whitty and Salesperson, Inc. (800) 453-2787. |
Past Issues
