The Marshmallow Test In Business

Those that have viewed Joachim de Posada’s TedX talk in our sales training workshops will have enjoyed his recreation of Walter Mischel’s marshmallow experiment with Colombian school-children.

The ability to delay gratification is particularly important in the sales process, whether it’s resisting the temptation to offer a business proposal before qualifying or agreeing to a small bit of business when the right answer is to hold out for a larger piece of work. Delaying gratification is also important in sustaining focus in the midst of information abundance. Ed Batista lays it out nicely in this HBR blog.