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It has been a difficult and, at times, borderline impossible year. But for those of us who sell for a living, there is so much to be grateful for.
Gratitude is the feeling of conscious appreciation for what we have (our customers), what we get to try acquire (prospects and new business), and even what we do not have (customers who have rejected us, or those who do not even know us yet).
I believe being grateful for what we don’t have is more powerful than gratitude for what we do have.
Let us be grateful for the customers who have told us no, because they’ve taught us that perseverance in sales is the most important thing. And a good number of those who reject us today become our customers tomorrow!
Let us be grateful for the customers we do not yet have, because one day, we will get to help them also, and that’s a pretty wonderful thought.
Let us give thanks that we have so many products and services to offer our customers and prospects, which they do not yet buy. There is so much value left to provide!
Let’s give thanks for the amazing ways we get to help people. How lucky are we to be spreading this kind of good in the world?!
Let’s be grateful for our family—who are the reason for our work. We sell for them. We spend more time working than with our family, and still they support us. We go on the road, and still they support us. The point to all of this is to take care of them. Our family deserves all the good things that more money can buy. They deserve our hard work. They deserve our gratitude.
Let us appreciate that we work in the only profession in which we are in direct control of our future. People who sell are the only ones who determine how well we do, or how much success we have. Want to have a better year? Communicate with customers and prospects more. Pick up the phone. Tell people how you can help them. Nobody else has this kind of direct and immediate impact on their success except we who sell.
The Power of Gratitude
In his wonderful book, The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor writes that “Few things in life are as integral to our well-being [as gratitude]. Countless studies have shown that consistently grateful people are more energetic, emotionally intelligent, forgiving, and less likely to be depressed, anxious, or lonely. And it’s not that people are only grateful because they are happier, either; gratitude has proven to be a significant cause of positive outcomes.”
How powerful is that?!
He is saying gratitude causes success. Pause here for a moment to internalize this wildly important fact.
Also, how do you think having more energy and being more emotionally intelligent and forgiving will affect your sales?!
What do you think happens to our sales results when we are less depressed, anxious, or lonely?
That is the immense power of gratitude.
Actively Seek Out Gratitude
I think one of the keys to selling more is to actively seek out areas to appreciate in our lives and work.
Find gratitude, even when it may not be obvious.
Defend your gratitude even when people and events seem to conspire to rip it away.
You are in charge of your gratitude.
And you are in charge of your success.
Nobody does these things to you.
You get to create it.
Unlike most people, you get to create it, and enjoy it.
And that is something to be very grateful about.
