My mother is a sales diva. Whether it is selling homes, furniture, vitamins, makeup or water filters, she brings a wholehearted (almost evangelical) passion to her work, and a genuine caring for her customer, that allows her to excel at whatever she lays her hand to.

I didn’t always see this as a good thing. When I was in my teens she was bitten by the network-marketing bug … several times. At first I was too young to really care. I just kept switching products as she did – using whatever face cleanser or vitamins she was selling at the time. After graduating with a psychology degree, I was old enough to be enrolled in her latest venture. I was so caught up in her enthusiasm that I eagerly signed on the dotted line…to sell water filters.

That ultimately didn’t work out too well for either of us. I took my knocks and vowed never to do it again. Not so my mother. Over the years I questioned her integrity many times as I watched her switch from promoting one “business opportunity” to the next with equal fervor.

I couldn’t understand how she could do this. First I thought she was lying to people just to make a sale. Then I figured she was lying to herself. Eventually I came to realize that she always believed 100 percent that her latest product or venture was, in fact, better than sliced bread. When it turned out that it wasn’t, she was devastated. But part of what makes my mom a sales diva is her ability to believe – in people, in products, in a company – but mostly – in herself.

As my own career helping organizations excel progressed, watching her allowed me to develop a greater appreciation for her ability to work her sales magic. She performs despite the fact that many of the companies for whom she has worked were woefully misguided, if not tragically toxic. From “cat fights” on the sales floor over commissions, to subtle backstabbing, and less-than-subtle power games, she has seen it all.

“In the best organizations I have worked with, management was able to keep their personal relationships with long-term employees separate from their business role and responsibilities,” she says. “When a new person came on board, especially a high performer, they welcomed it as an opportunity to shake things up and did not let a sense of ‘loyalty’ or friendship with old employees allow them to be complacent about taking action on feedback from the new person.”

Of course, she has also worked for her share of the ‘unbest’ companies.

“In smaller, privately-owned organizations, the managers often lacked management training and ability. Many had been promoted to management because they were good at sales and they had survived in the role because of their social networks, despite the fact that their performance was less than stellar,” she says.

“To keep the best people and to be a leading organization, managers need to constantly embrace new blood and encourage people to provide honest feedback and instigate change.”

I now understand that what motivated my mother’s many changes was the desire to work for something or someone that was worth believing in. While money is a motivator, salespeople, just like everyone else, have a strong desire to believe in the organization they work for and the products or services it represents. They need to believe in the integrity of their leaders and, more importantly, see it in action on a consistent basis.

So the next time you think your sales team needs another motivational seminar or how-to session to boost company profits, think of how many frustrated sales divas may be under performing because of organizational failings that undermine true teamwork and strangle individual excellence. Building the talent and integrity of your management team is far more likely to inspire lasting performance and commitment in your sales force.

-Andrea Jacques (aka. Kyoseigirl)

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