THE POWER OF POSITIVITY IN SALES

THE POWER OF POSITIVITY IN SALES

Working in sales requires discipline, adaptability, and communication, but it also requires a positive mindset.

“Be positive” has become a very cliché saying to the point where people have forgotten how crucial and scientifically true positive thinking is.

To give you a rundown:

All of which are ESSENTIAL for a successful sales career.

Highs and lows are the standards of any sales career, and often we only have a positive attitude when we go through the highs (the sales, the new clients, the promotions) but positivity should be how you approach sales rather than it being a result of sales success.

Here are 6 ways positivity can improve your sales career:

POSITIVITY HELPS THE LOWS FEEL HIGHER

When someone tells you to be positive, it can feel like they’re gaslighting your struggles and basically telling you to “deal with it”. 

But positivity is far more than just smiling and brushing a bad situation off – it’s about being optimistic for things to improve. It’s about not letting your emotions overtake you but instead thinking practically about how to turn a bad situation into a good one.

Every day in sales is different, and some days are quite frankly awful.

There are days you lose a client you were super excited about, a deal doesn’t come through, or you get hung up on constantly.

But there are two ways you can deal with those lows:

  1. Wallow in your sadness and make emotionally led decisions
  2. Take a breather, remember the lows are a part of the job and stay optimistic

No fail ‘feels good’, but if you’re going to be a resilient salesperson who will get right back up after being kicked down, having a negative approach will lead you to make poor decisions, act out in frustration, and eventually quit.

YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SPOT OPPORTUNITIES

Just like negativity will stop you from seeing lows in a positive light, it will stop you from seeing the opportunities that are right in front of you.

Almost every sales environment is described as having a ‘fast-paced environment’ and this includes being quick in spotting new opportunities. Sales Managers want employees that are self-motivated, energetic, and optimistic with their sales approach.

Pessimistic people are more likely to become slow and disengaged when bad things happen, and they’re also more likely to lack confidence in new opportunities because they don’t truly believe it’ll work out. 

Basically – they lack true productivity.

You have to keep on your toes in sales, which requires a lot of motivation, productivity, and self-belief that you can achieve, you can make sales, and you can progress.

YOU’RE FAR MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP

This one should be a no-brainer.

Positive thinkers are destined for growth. They don’t just seek opportunities to make money and ‘feel good’, but they seek learning opportunities and challenges and always have a good attitude regardless of struggles.

A growth mindset is a key component of positive thinking. This means you:

  • Know your skills can be improved through effort and actions
  • Recognise setbacks are a necessary part of the learning process

We always talk about salespeople being confident – which is key by the way – but confidence goes hand in hand with humility and positivity.

Being arrogant about your skills can cause you to:

  • Take losses far worse than others
  • Struggle to take feedback
  • Stay stagnant because you don’t believe there’s anything you can improve on

You can only get so far in sales with a poor mindset because eventually clients and bosses will realise how you approach your work.

YOU’LL COPE BETTER WITH STRESS

Every role is stressful, but sales is up there as being one of the most stressful roles.

But if you approach stress with a constant impending doom, you’ll naturally feel more and more stressed – not just about the current situation, but about your overall role.

And we all know what stress causes – mistakes, unproductivity, and fewer sales. So a simple switch of mindset can enable you to focus more on work and be resilient through hard times.

YOU’LL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WORK RELATIONSHIPS

No one wants a moody colleague.

Everyone gets down at times but if your constant negativity is getting in the way of your collaborating and building relationships – you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn from your colleagues and work together on projects.

Not to mention, if you’re looking to get a promotion, bosses are always looking at how you treat the rest of the team. Positivity is contagious, it cultivates productivity and benefits the entire sales team.

PEOPLE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH YOU

Here’s the hard-hitting stuff.

Thousands of salespeople are selling similar products or services to you, even people within your own company. How can you guarantee they’ll want to do business with you?

Yes, you may be incredibly organised, skilled, and reliable. But are you approachable, friendly, and empathetic? 

Those characters will lack massively if you don’t have a positive attitude. Maybe your clients don’t even know you in person but you can easily give verbal cues that you have a negative approach to work. Maybe you constantly sound frustrated over the phone, or fail to ever have small talk, believe it or not, it’ll have a huge impact on your relationship.

Be someone people look forward to speaking with, and be someone whose personality and infectious positivity cause them to buy into you as well as the product.

IT CREATES A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY FOR SUCCESS

Positive thinking also goes hand-in-hand with self-confidence. The belief that you’re capable of success and have faith in your abilities.

This naturally increases the chances of meeting your sales goals. You’ll do the necessary work and not talk yourself out of doing things because you’re fearful. 

And this isn’t to say positive thinking instantly eradicates insecurities, but positive self-talk can do A LOT for how you approach work. If you constantly label yourself as a failure or call yourself demeaning names, you’ll subconsciously live up to that by not trying.

High expectations lead to high success.

- Written by Shannon Matthews

Tom Hardcastle

Senior Recruitment Consultant – Sustainability Sales ⚡🌱 at enable recruitment | B Corp™

1y

Really interesting article Shannon

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