Sales is a tricky business to succeed at; anyone in the industry will tell you that the idea behind sales is much more difficult in execution than you might initially think. Being successful can be achieved, but these days there are so many different ways to be successful that it’s challenging to pick one road that works the best. Brandon Harris, the Sales VP at Otter PR, has a wealth of experience in sales and has pinpointed a major limiting factor for many sales groups. He’s seen both sides of this debate’s effects with multiple companies and has since been trying to educate the sales community on this very subject.

The Fixed Mindset versus the Growth Mindset is a rather interesting choice to make as both sides have their pros and cons; however, statistical evidence suggests the idea that one might perhaps more often yield results over the other. Before we discuss that, first, each mindset must be laid out and explained.

THE FIXED MINDSET

The Fixed Mindset is a more precise and secure state of mind and practice in sales. Often, this approach focuses heavily on what works rather than merely improving. It could be argued that it doesn’t tend to heavily involve the more personal influence of sales and the value of individual strengths and weaknesses. Fixed Mindsets tend to look at cold hard facts without considering the margin of error for these facts. More often than not, you’ll see examples of leaders in a Fixed Mindset being heavily focused on having a secondary education but perhaps less work experience.

In addition, the Fixed Mindset tends to have less belief & efficacy of their employees. There needs to be a detailed set of requirements met by each individual for them to be considered qualified, and the Fixed Mindset follows them to a near tee. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the Fixed Mindset is a risk-averse approach to sales. There isn’t much venturing outside of the formulaic nature of how it operates and, as a result, tends to yield low-risk based results.

This is not to say there’s no value in the Fixed Mindset; the Fixed approach doesn’t tend to err on the side of risk-taking. Depending on the individual industry, this could be a good thing as risk-reward analysis can be an invaluable tool for a sales group if the market is right for it. However, the fact remains that Fixed Mindset is a far more rigid approach to sales that is more circumstantial in the way of success.

THE GROWTH MINDSET

The Growth Mindset is a more fluid approach to sales. The idea involves more risk-taking, but also more results-based decision-making. The belief that employees’ records show more of their capabilities than what they look like through the traditional ‘on paper’ lens. The Growth Mindset takes the time to teach the employees and future leaders instead of going out of business to seek new members to fill those roles.

It is a mindset heavy in the investment of existing company members rather than investing in new members who might not perform according to specifications. A growth mindset is frequently one that takes a more direct look at employees under the umbrella of the company and invests in those who have yielded the most results or show the most promise and teach them how to fill the roles they’re expected to occupy rather than leaving them at where they are already excelling.

This mindset has a far less rigid approach, focusing heavily on promoting and using resources to invest in their team. This grants employees more efficiency and empowerment to make the right decisions for the company and their department as a whole.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Harris believes that these two mindsets, while both yield some semblance of benefits, have a superior mix. He believes that the growth mindset is far more lucrative for the future of sales as it promotes a more genuine approach to sales and goes based on performance rather than what employees look like on paper. The risk-taking involved in Growth Mindset is also something that can be attributed to further success for companies who choose the Growth Mindset and take educated risks.

These decisions ultimately help the health of the company and the sales industry at large as they help set the precedent of the growth mindset as the norm. It creates a more lucrative business in terms of the revenue, and the health of the sales industry is evolving with the changing times. Whether it’s practiced effectively or not across the board, the future of sales is the growth mindset.

As leaders in the sales industry, it is your responsibility to ensure that these are things that are taken account of when in the process of moving forward with large decisions. These individual mindsets must be chosen carefully and with a great deal of thought beforehand, and if it is not done successfully it can be detrimental to the health of the company’s success.