Increase Sales by Applying the Galatea Effect!
Recently we discussed the Pygmalion effect, which is our ability to increase sales simply by expecting prospective clients to buy.
We talked about a 1962 report by Rosenthal and Jacobson which showed that if teachers were led to expect enhanced performance from some children, then the children did indeed show that enhancement. It also showed that if teachers were led to expect poor performance from some children, then the children did indeed perform poorly.
Today I would like to discuss a similar, but perhaps even more powerful way to increase sales...the Galatea effect. This is the ability of a person to improve his or her performance simply by enhancing self-expectations.
I'm sure you've heard of the words, "self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't...you are probably right!" -Henry Ford
Applied as the Galatea effect, this means that an individual's opinion about his ability and his expectations about his performance, largely determine his behavior and therefore his outcome.
If a person thinks he or she can increase sales, it is much more likely they will increase sales. Consequently, any actions a person can take to increase their feelings of positive expectancy will go a long way to improve sales performance.
What you believe will affect both the type and amount of actions you will take. The type and amount of actions you take with either increase sales or decrease sales.
If you are a salesperson and you have a strong belief in both yourself and your product, you are much more likely to call on a larger number of prospects with an increased sense of confidence. The salesperson's increased level of prospecting activity will inevitably increase sales! These results will affect what you believe.
Once the salesperson makes more sales, he or she has more confidence and this should lead to even more activity, which will produce an even greater increase in sales. You get the idea.
It is important to note that this cycle that works both ways. Assuming you had little belief in yourself and your product...it likely you will take less action, get poor results, which will lead to an even lower sense of confidence and so on. I call this a "death spiral" in sales.
But what comes first...you believing in your ability to increase sales, taking action and therefore getting increase sales results? Or you do you have to see the result first, which would then lead to enhanced beliefs...which will lead to taking more and better action?
Obviously...the cycle begins with your expectations and your confidence in your ability to produce a certain outcome.
I don't mean to over-simplify this concept. Many other factors also contribute to the level of a person's performance including: life experiences, education, family support, etc. Having said that...what if it is true that one of the simplest yet most effective ways to increase sales is to just expect a better outcome?
What if you could increase sales just by increasing your confidence in yourself and your product's ability to help your customer?
Try this for the next thirty days and see how this works for you!
