Perspectives That Serve # 15 - Optimism

Optimism is the mother of all positive perspectives, mindsets, view points, or attitudes in the world of selling. More is written about optimism than all the other perspectives combined. I think that is unfortunate which is why I list it as number 15 instead of number 1. But make no mistake, optimism is a critical perspective if you want to be successful. It's just not the only one.

Optimism asks the question, “What can I contribute toward a preferred future”. Optimists sell more than pessimists for one simple reason. You work harder to make the sale you think you have a good chance of making and hard work pays off. You prepare more and better for the sale you think you have a good chance at making. If you are convinced that you don’t stand a chance you won’t do what’s necessary to be successful. If you are optimistic that sales calls will eventually turn into contracts, you will make more sales calls.

Beyond that, in general people prefer to be around optimists. If you give people hope, if you give them a lift they will prefer working with you. In short it makes you more likeable. And people prefer to work with people they like. This isn’t mysticism over mind over matter.

What is optimism? There are several definitions I like. Zig Ziglar says optimism is going after Moby Dick in a row boat and taking the tarter sauce with you. It is the 65 year old man asking out the 25 year old women, buying a house in a neighborhood with a new elementary school. It is the man thrown out of the 10th story window who can be heard going by the 5th floor yelling, “So Far So Good”.

Cute ideas about optimism but my favorite definition is simpler and much more serious. Simply stated, optimism is the belief that you can make a difference, contributing toward a preferred future. It is the opposite of fatalism which is the belief that you can’t make a difference, that everything is already set in stone. In selling, it is the simple belief that you can influence your destiny by how many calls you make, who you call on, and how well you make those calls. Notice I didn’t say control your destiny, I said influence. I do believe there are other factors besides your behavior. But optimism leans toward the belief that your behavior is the most important factor.

For now I am leaving out the Spiritual Factors. Optimism has a very close cousin called Faith which the Bible describes as the confidence of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. I absolutely believe in a God who does intervene regularly in the affairs of men and women, even sales people, but that is a related and different subject.