One thing often missing in Sales Manager Training courses is the section on expectations. No not the normal definition of expectations. This is the one that can really change your sales performance in a drastic way.

There is a great saying in life. That you get what you expect not what you want. Now some of us in the tough business world probably think this is not true. Especially in the fast paced world of a Sales Manager.

The current vogue of personal development; The Secret and now The Moses Code has put a whole new light on the metaphysical world and how this can relate to business.

Life is actually governed by universal law wether we like it or not. There is also a growing body of evidence to prove this theory. Have a look in any book store and you will see an array of books on quantum physics. An interesting fact that The Secret has remained on the best seller list on Amazon for the last couple of years.

Expectations are all part of the attraction cycle that most of us set up unknowingly in our life. You often get what you truly expect. There have been a number of studies conducted where instructors are fed false information about the team they are coaching. The results really are not that surprising.

The instructor who thought his team had the highest skill level , from false information he was fed then treats them accordingly.

The result is superior results when in essence the team had the lowest skill level of all. Expectations are really a self fulfilling prophesy.

The same is so true in the business world and especially sales. Generally sales managers allocate resources to their team members in proportion to their expectation of them. The ones they expect the most from get the most emotional support through non -verbal cues ( eye contact, smiles) frequent and valuable feedback and development. Along with surprisingly, challenging goals.

This starts a cycle. The sales team has more confidence, better support and encouragement and guess what they perform better. A positive belief has been installed with the corresponding positive result.

So the message for sales managers is expect great things. Tell your sales team verbally and in writing that you believe in them. Be realistic of course. Great expectations are good. Outrageous ones can be demoralising.

Oh one more thing. This expectation strategy works for you as well. How about expecting greta things. It just might work for you as well.