Attitude is the Key

July 26, 2019

By Ray Barry, Managing Partner at Shred America

The most important quality that top sales professionals and business owners possess is, without a doubt, a positive attitude.

I have never met a great sales professional that had a negative attitude. In sales, as in life, attitude is a major factor in your successes and failures. Your attitude about yourself, your company, your service, and others will influence your sales. The first hurdle a sales professional must overcome is believing that he or she can and will achieve whatever he or she sets his or her mind to.

High self-efficacy leads to more success.

Think about it, when was the last time that you went into a sales call with a negative attitude and won the business? Having a negative attitude makes you a less likeable and approachable salesperson. Negative thoughts have a way of taking over and bringing about a negative outcome. As Earl Nightingale, author of “The Strangest Secret,” said, “You become what you think about all day long.” This is evident whether it’s negative or positive thoughts. So, if this is true, why waste precious time with negative thoughts?

A proper attitude can help you overcome some of the biggest sales challenges. That said, how do you maintain a positive attitude when the market is difficult? Sure, it’s easy to be positive when you’re on a roll and things are going well. But true sales professionals maintain positive attitudes despite the setbacks. They stay away from negative thoughts and people. Great sales professionals know that maintaining positive attitudes will help them overcome adversity and achieve their goals.

Here are simple tips for keeping a positive attitude in difficult times:

• • Think about positive thoughts all the time. Visualize making the sale before the call or meeting.
  • Don’t dwell on losses. You will win some and lose some. Learn from your losses.
  • Think of past accomplishments. You can achieve success by repeating positive behaviors and actions. Read or watch some of your client testimonials to relive these successes.
  • Don’t watch or read the negative local or national news, unless of course, it’s talking about identity theft.

• Stay away from the Ned and Nelly Negaholics out there. They are contagious. It’s like a virus.
• Remember that you provide a valuable service to your clients and prospects. This industry is about security and insurance, not just shredding. You are actually helping people protect themselves from identity theft.
• Write down your annual goals and review them regularly. You can see your success as the year goes on.
• The power of giving: Helping people without expectation of getting anything back and without keeping score will do wonders for your attitude.
• Motivating others helps you stay positive.

Stay positive and open to new ideas. Focus on your goals and you will succeed.