Author: Ajay Saraf
If I may start with the literal meaning of ATTITUDE it goes something like as follows
“Attitude refers to an individual’s mental state ,which is based on his/her beliefs or value system ,the emotions and the tendency to act and behave in a certain fashion. One’s attitude reflects how he or she thinks ,feels and behaves in a given situation in hand “.
Best example which fits in completely during these days of Pandemic are two sets of people ,one who are totally dejected because of the devastation COVID has inflicted including the loss of jobs and opportunities and at the same time we have another set of people who talk about opportunities because of the manufacturing shift that is happening in China by most of the MNC’s to countries like India because of COVID .They are quite optimistic of the opportunities it will bring which can turn out to be stepping stone towards India becoming the manufacturing hub for the world and why not ,and which may eventually lead to prosperity in days and months to come Here the external environment in both the case remains same but the response to stimuli is different which is nothing but your ATTITUDE .
To me Attitude is the ONLY THING .It is a little thing that makes a BIG DIFFERENCE As quoted by Zig Ziglar ,an American author, and a motivational speaker who has aptly described the power of it in the following quote. It goes something like this …
It is your ATTITUDE , not your APTITUDE ,that will define your ALTITUDE in your life :
If you want to succeed in life, nothing is more important than a winning attitude. Winners always have a great attitude. In sales customers like to buy from positive people who have confidence in what they are selling and help their customers enjoy the buying process .People do not want to be sold but for sure they love to buy and own .Having a positive attitude it will improve the relationship ,make you happier and lead to success .
Have you ever been in a situation where everything about your product and sales process , seemed so right; product quality, pricing, sales presentation, buying audience, and suitability of the product to soothe buyer’s pain points and yet deals are not closed? If you have been in sales stream for a while , either as B2B or B2C, I am sure you would have encountered such instances or something very familiar. In business, your attitude determines whether customers buy from you or not.
With positive attitude you are able to exude the bright side of life that makes your personality likeable and acceptable.
There is no way a salesman with a positive attitude will expect a failure not to talk of accepting it. Even though there may be failed attempt(s), it will be seen in the light of generating useful feedback for improving business sales process or product itself and that is where the Attitude plays the trick . Interestingly, sales person with the positive attitude always expect the best to happen and they are constantly winning sales.
Let me share with you this story of how a great attitude can uncover an opportunity.
There was a king who was very smart and intelligent with a positive attitude .One day he had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much of a push and pull , he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many others never understand and Attitude made the difference . Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition. It is a know fact that Problems come with lots and lots of opportunities .One should actually look for problems /challenges in their workplace and try to grab it and embrace the challenge ,and that is where the opportunity will surface .A person who does has the winning Attitude.
As mentioned above “attitude is everything”. I would like share with you couple of pointers which I personally feel , can develop positive attitude towards sales.
- Self Belief:
Confidence with a tinge of right Attitude in your selling ability goes a long way in sales success While it is not the only ingredient to closing deals, it is a vital factor. Regardless of your line of business, you need to successfully sell yourself first. Customers will not believe what you don’t believe. If you don’t have trust in your ability to sell, customers will not even give you the opportunity to waste their valuable time in pitching. So you need to set your thinking right. - Every customer is important:
There is a strong likelihood you treat your customers differently. Consciously or unconsciously, some customers are treated special while others are grouped as not-too-special customers. If you are culpable, have a rethink. Customers are quick to know how important they are in your buyers classifications. While grouping our buyers is great for sales and marketing, sales organization need to see every customer as a VIP, treat them with due attention and respect. If not, your sales members will be the first to sell you out and start a show off bad attitude to a customer that may turn to great customer in the future. - Thoughts:
Thoughts are very powerful. Whether we believe it or not, they influence our attitude towards prospects and customers. Great product positioned with right attitude will edge you a mile ahead of your competitors. In reality, sales start with you, not your customers. Positive thoughts ; Negative to Positive attitude ,which is a mental outlook of optimism and of expecting good things to happen Sales teams who possess this attitude are easier to get along ,and have been found to be extremely successful in their careers and they spread the joy around them.
