What does contributing to my team really mean?

To follow on from last week, this blog will shed some light on the second key measurement of success in my sales team: contribution.

In business if you aren’t contributing to the lives of others, you’re either simply doing nothing or taking from them. Many people think “selling” is the art of getting what you want. This is only partly true. The real movers and shakers in sales understand how contribution serves them and others.

We all know people in life who take, so as we get older and wiser ? we don’t associate with these people for too long. Perhaps if we are really honest with ourselves, we take more than give sometimes too. And this is easy to do, particularly when we get desperate.

Over the years, I’ve been desperate more than once, so I can speak from experience ? when we get desperate we approach things from a place of need ? which isn’t a nice place to play, nor is it an attractive way to be viewed by other people.

When we are needy we think we don’t have much choice other than to take. But we do have a choice. When you don’t have much, this is the best time to give. Give more passion! More energy! More love. More value. Think more. Do more! Be more. Not less.

Contributing to a team can be boiled down to a simple definition: Always going the extra mile. Do the little things that add value beyond the norm. It doesn’t need to cost you money or drain your energy, just do something small and make it a big habit.

A tap on the back. A smile or cheeky wink. Saying thank you. Share a joke. Make an effort. Be positive to be around. Be interested. Ask questions and really listen. It’s not hard. The little things over time add up to a lot, making contributing to your team a lot easier than you think.

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Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.