That belief is wrong. If your sales force isn’t producing what it’s capable of, it may well be that you’re overemphasizing profit at the expense of purpose. This observation doesn’t come just from personal experience but from hard data. Studies show that companies committed to improving their customer’s lives outperform the market by a stunning 15:1 ratio.

Lisa Earle McLeod is a sales leadership consultant. Companies like Apple, Pfizer and Kimberly-Clark hire her to help them create passionate, purpose-driven sales forces. Her offerings include executive coaching sessions, strategy workshops and high impact keynote speeches.