The headline above is an actual headline from BusinessWeek Online from August 13, 2007. The story that followed described new technologies which help monitor bridges and how experts who can analyze the results are in short supply. This article was written in the wake of the recent Minneapolis bridge collapse disaster. The message is simple: more bridges will collapse soon. All is lost.

My point you ask? The media is overwhelmingly negative. The sad truth is that journalists are a miserable lot. They are pessimistic by nature and gravitate to the dark side of most issues: the macabre, the suffering, the dead and the dying, the failed, Armageddon, etc.

They just loved the trashing of Enron. Send the bums to prison. How about the impending collapse of the real estate market? It is coming any minute. Barry Bonds and his home runs? The man has no talent and his success is all due to steroids. George W. and his low approval ratings? Watch it worsen. Impeachment is near.

All this misery is headline news. But why to do they write such depressing crap? The answer is quite simple: about 70% of their readers feel they same way. They, too, are pessimistic and miserable. For some reason, western culture seems to have lost its “Mojo”.

Terrorists? They are everywhere, so we must now take our shoes off at airports and we are not allowed to carry toothpaste on airplanes. Feel safer now?

The media is only reflecting the times and what a sorry state it is. Study after study reveals the current state of our culture as depressed, downtrodden, and pessimistic.

Optimism is so last century. Or is it?

My friends, this is where sales people enter the picture. Generally speaking, sales people are optimistic. Given the choice between despair and a happy outlook, they go for happy. When something bad happens, the optimistic sales person shrugs it off as bad luck and keeps on going. Optimists think that things will be OK. They believe that the future is bright.

Optimistic sales people tend to make more money than the pessimistic buyers. I have heard estimates that optimistic people earn more than 50% more during their lifetime than their negative counterparts.

They live longer too. For example, the world’s oldest person, a Japanese woman died Monday at age 114. She attributed her long life to eating well, getting a good night’s sleep, and a positive attitude. I bet she was in sales. Just a guess on my part.

Selling requires a Zen-like trance where the sales person must focus on a positive outcome despite the objections of negative buyers. These negative energies that emanate from the buyers are requests to make them happier. In fact, negative buyers seem to be attracted to the positive energy of the sales person’s sunny attitude.

This is the true purpose of the sales person: to bring light to this dark little planet before it explodes.

John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2007 All rights reserved

About the author
4 Comments
  1. Tisa of Posh Pony Company

    I loved this article!
    You’ve described the buyer perfectly… the buyer just wants to be made HAPPIER! Just like everyone else…. enjoyed this immensely. T

  2. Jonathan Hehl

    jj,

    That is so true especally in todays real estate market. Keep up the good work.

    Jonathan Hehl
    Triton Real Estate Advosors
    Cell: 714-785-8032
    E-Mail: jon@tritonrea.com

  3. Tisa,

    The negativity of the media is real pet peeve of mine. It brings no value to our culture other than to drag people down.

    When you look at successful people, sales or not, they all seem to be optimistic.

    Pessimism does not pay.

    JBJ

  4. Jonathan,

    Real Estate may be a tough market right now, but people will always need a roof over their heads or place to do business. Stay positive and you will sell more.

    If CNN is too negative, turn to the Comedy Channel.

    JBJ

Leave Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formSubmit

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.