Stay Positive - You Never Know Where The Next Win Is Coming From

Sales and business development in most industries have been tougher in the past 18 months than in the 18 years before. For many product and services providers, their best long term customers simply stopped buying. Where purchases were still happening, decisions that used to be made within days by a director-level person were now taking weeks and were being made by senior management. Clients from a broad array of industries have come to us looking for ways to keep their sales forces optimistic, energized and resilient in spite of the persistently weak economy.

Self-efficacy - our belief that we can overcome the obstacles in front of us and succeed, and Optimism – our expectation for a brighter future, are the two resilience factors most critical to successful selling. Our research at Adaptiv shows that enduring self-efficacy and optimism flow directly from good Causal Analysis – the ability to solve problems and "get points on the board". When we achieve our objectives, our self esteem and optimism build naturally and help buffer us against the rejection that's inherent in the sales process. But what happens when we fail to achieve our goals despite our best efforts – when the time between wins gets too long? How do we keep ourselves up and running when we can't quite remember our last success?

In late 2008, Adaptiv began studying resilience in recession. We identified a group of individuals representing a broad demographic range that seemed to be thriving in spite of the challenges they were facing. We administered the Resilience Factor Inventory® (RFI) and interviewed them extensively. Their resilience profiles were nothing out of the ordinary. But they distinguished themselves in four unique ways:

  • Where others tend to shrink back in the face of extreme financial hardship, this group reached out to other people and sought out new challenges. They freely gave of themselves in spite of their own dwindling resources.
  • They had a deep connection to something greater than themselves – family, community, country, God – something that was there before they arrived and would remain long after they were gone.
  • They took time to enjoy beauty – watching a sunset, taking a quiet walk in the woods, visiting an art museum.
  • They actively sought out humor – spending time with a funny friend, going to a comedy club.

So, take a lesson from those who have learned how to thrive in tough times: Reach out. Think about what gives you meaning in your life. Try to find ways to connect to things bigger than yourself. Take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you. Laugh with others, and maybe even at yourself.

Once you've truly done everything you can do to advance your cause, be sure to reach for optimism and positive expectation. It feels better and makes work and the rest of life easier. And you just might find that the big customer that stopped buying and killed your 2009 comes back to help you make your 2010. You never know where the next opportunity is coming from!

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