Sales Management

It Pays To Be Optimistic

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

31 Jan 2008 • 1 min read

Western culture is overwhelmingly pessimistic. Just turn on CNN or the local news and you will be bombarded with bad news---home foreclosures, inflation fears, Iraq, crime, and much more. Most advertising is negative---have you seen the political campaign ads?

Studies have shown that 7 out of 10 people are pessimistic in the United States. That leaves just a few of us to look at the sunny side of things. The good news is that optimism pays.

Did you know that Optimistic people live 20 years longer on average? Or, that optimistic people make 50% more money than pessimistic people? Talk to a centenarian and ask them what they attribute for their long life---invariably they site a happy attitude as key part of their existence.

When it comes to selling, I have found the majority of sales people tend to be optimistic (just look at their forecasts!) while the majority of buyers to be pessimistic. Yet, it seems that the pessimistic buyers respond positively to optimistic people. I think that is why buyers seek out sales people---they want to feel better, so they hang out with optimistic sales people.

My advice is to be optimistic or take on the behavior of an optimist. Here are a few suggestions on how to do that:

Turn off CNN; instead watch Seinfeld reruns
Read the funny pages and skip the headlines
Hang out with positive people; it’s contagious
Avoid people with negative attitudes
Use positive expressions, words, and clichés (“yes”, “I know I can”, etc.)
Eliminate negative expressions, words, clichés (“but”, “I don’t think so”, etc.)
Visualize success and happiness; write down what you want and how you are going to make it happen.
Review your goals frequently
Define success as a series of tasks performed daily rather than just a result at the end of the month or year.

Don’t worry, be happy. It pays better.