5 tips to increase your success, confidence and happiness

Does money buy happiness? According to a Nobel prize winner psychologist and a survey of 1,000 Americans it confirmed that more money does not necessarily buy you more happiness once a certain threshold has been reached. Read this article from the Guardian

Tip 1: Find time to balance success across all areas of your life

People high in Emotional Intelligence are successful across all areas of their life. Success is no longer measured just by how much you earn and what car you drive, it is a combination of many other factors. Finding time to connect with nature, family, friends, doing things you love and being successful in your home and business life are the signs of a highly successful and happy person. Recognise when you need to re charge and reflect so you can re energise yourself so you can be the most productive and creative in your work. Your family and friends are your vital support network so spend time with them and make them feel an important part of your life. We all go through exceptionally busy periods in our working life,our support network will understand this if we take time to explain and connect. Spend more quality time with them during quieter periods and you will reach that ideal balance in your life. Download our free Emotional Intelligence infographic 

Tip 2: Limit time with toxic people

'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent'- Eleanor Roosevelt

Limit or get rid of toxic people in your life. If someone destroys your confidence, is constantly hurtful, non-supportive and negative then you need to ask yourself if they need to be in your life. In some cases, we cannot choose the people we work with however we can limit the amount of time we spend with them and choose not to take their comments personally. If someone in your life is making you unhappy then consider the reward or consequences of ending that connection or friendship, it could be the best thing you ever do! You do not need to say anything, you can just let the relationship drift apart naturally and limit your time with them if you feel you do not want to confront the person or raise your concerns. 50% of stress can be caused by your relationship with your Manager or Boss. For tips on how to deal with the different Management styles read this article by Dr Travis Bradberry, this will help you reduce stress and develop a good working relationship with your Manager. When you are sales person you need to be positive and confident so this tip will help you keep all fired up for sales success.

Tip 3: Drink plenty of water- all day

Drinking water has numerous benefits. Even mild dehydration can impair your energy level, mood, memory and brain. The Mail reported that one glass of water can make your brain work 14% faster. Your body is made up of 60% water so water is an important factor in overall body health. It has been proven that students who drink water during exams perform better in exams.

Tip 4: Exercise

Being a very sporty person, I cannot imagine life without doing some form of exercise. Team sports are also good for enhancing communication, team building skills and keeping a competitive mind. I have also met and made friends with some amazing people through playing social and team league tennis.

NHS reports on the many health benefits of exercise. Endorphins kick in when you exercise and they trigger a feeling of positivity, reduce stress and depression. So,before you open up that bottle of wine after a long stressful day think about doing some form of exercise instead and see the difference in how you feel the next day. Exercise can be a short walk in the fresh air, some yoga or if you need to get your tension out of your system then some hard-physical exercise. We all say we do not have time to exercise but even fifteen minutes a day can make a difference to our mood and positivity. I have my yoga mat and bands in the lounge so it encourages me to do something even when my husband is glued to a Premiership football game on television. He has learnt to ignore my tree pose or flying man!

Tip 5: Always be learning & reflecting

Whether you are a seasoned sales professional or new to your sales role you can always benefit from continuous learning, sales training courses and reflecting. Reflection improves your self awareness and is a key component of Emotional Intelligence which will help you constantly improve,make necessary changes and do more of what works.Reflect after every sales call, meeting and situation and you will always be improving and succeeding. It is important to keep learning and refreshing your skills as your market place is constantly changing, your customer's needs change and so do your competition. To be one step ahead  you need to keep learning new ideas and methods, researching to expand your knowledge and become a Trusted Advisor to your client.

We all develop bad habit so sometimes you also need to revisit your core skills and ensure your bad habits are replaced with best practice skills and methods to enhance your success. Keep a PDP (personal development planner or learning log) so you can keep a record of the skills you have gained and the benefits of this. It is useful to do this if you are looking to be promoted to a new role, make a list of all the skills and attitudes you need to demonstrate and carry out some actions to demonstrate your ability to meet the skills and attitudes needed for the position you want in the future. Investing in your self development, willingness to learn and change are important to employers when selecting candidates.

In summary you need to have a combination of good wellbeing, positivity and skill to be successful in life and in sales. As one Manager said to me 'you find your own luck in this world', when you have all of these three things you will be 'lucky' achieve sales success and enhanced sales performance.

For details of our wide range of Sales Course Sales Management and Emotional Intelligence Courses see our courses page. We specialise in open and In House customised sales training courses in the North West of England and customised training programmes Nationwide.

Read our other blogs for more tips and inspiration to gain top sales performance and motivate your sales people.

This article has been written by Debbie Sweeney, lead Sales trainer at Solutions2Success. Debbie has won numerous National sales awards and had a high performance sales track record spanning 18 years. Contact Debbie for advice about training programmes to support your sales team achieve consistent top sales performance.

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For more sales and management tips, inspiration and ideas visit our free resources section.