Negativity can affect all parts of our lives in ways that sometimes we are not even aware of. If we approach situations from a positive perspective, we can help to avoid most of the ways situations can adversely affect us. Also, sometimes, the accrual of negative circumstances over time can have detrimental effects such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, depression, and many other significant impacts on our lives.
If you are in sales or any leadership role, you must have a positive attitude if you want to be successful. When Jeb Blount, the CEO at SalesGravy and best-selling author on sales, was asked what the single most important trait someone interviewing for a sales job is, he said that it was that they displayed a positive attitude.
Part of what we can do to at least help situations that can be perceived negatively is to try and eliminate the words in our communication with others (and within our own head) that can convey negative feelings.
This list would be words and phrases like:
And my favorites, No, and “No problem”.
That last one, “No problem”, is frequently used when we are trying to be helpful and are trying to convey that accomplishing something is simple, but it uses two negative words to convey this. “No”, and “problem”.
Think carefully about how the listener may feel when confronted with this. Subconsciously, this may make them wonder if what you are discussing is sometimes a problem. Now, in contrast, think about how these phrases make you feel instead. “I would be happy to.”, or “Certainly”, or “My pleasure.” While you are conveying the same point, aren’t you, as the listener, left with a much warmer feeling with these? Try them next time.
This type of phrasing goes a very long way in trying to please a dissatisfied client. I know we have all been there, where the client requests or possibly, even demands certain accommodations. Next time, try not responding with negative words or phrases such as “We can’t do that”, or “That is not an option.” This will only serve to convey to the client what you refuse to do rather than what you can or are willing to do. Instead, once the client makes their requests or presents their dissatisfaction, try expressing your thoughts more positively using phrases like “This is what we will do for you.”, or “Based on the situation, these are the options we can provide.” In each of these examples, we are focusing on what we can do and what the options are, rather than what we can’t do.
All of this may seem like minutia but I promise you that if you think this through before speaking the next time you are with a client, their reactions to your thoughts will come back to you in a much more positive light.
One last thought. Remember “Please.” and “Thank you.”
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As always, your comments and thoughts are welcome!