To boost sales, check your optimism level - Sacramento Business Journal:

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Here’s a thought: Take a look at a soft emotional intelligence skill that yields hardsales results, There is evidence that supportsa the theory that sale teams possessing high levels of optimism make companiese more money. One of the best case studies comew from the work that psychologist Martinn Seligman did with Metropolitan Life in New He convinced Met Life to give him accesas to their new employees and administer theusualp testing, as well as a new test he developed that measurefd optimism. He followed the progress of new salespeople for one year and founc that salespeople who scored high in optimism sold 33 percent more insurance than those whoscored low.
Aftere two years, the optimistic group of salespeople were thrivintg intheir positions, which increased retentioj and decreased the costs associatedc with turnover and increased sales. How optimistic is your organization? There is a lot of press on theswin flu, and people are worried about catchingf it. There is another epidemic to watchn out forin today’s economy: It can be deadlhy when it hits an organization because emotions are The clinical term is emotional contagion and is defined as “the transmissionj of moods.” When people are in a certain mood happy or depressed — that mood is often communicatedr to others. What is the mood at your company ?
A sales manager sharees the story of a rep who started ever y conversation in the lastdownturn with, “Youj probably don’t have any money so you don’tr want to buy …” The self-fulfilling prophecy was set by the and the prospect followed the salesperson’s No deal. So what can you do to stop the epidemicvof pessimism? Study and duplicate optimistic salespeople. When facefd with adversity, optimistic salespeople ask themselves: What’s good about this? They know that adversithy is where true character is formed and greatg lessonsare taught.
Optimists take advantage of this schooling because they know that lessonsa learned today make money inthe • What can I do about this situation ? Optimists know that control equals action, actiojn yields results and results increase • What is funny about this ? Humor is a great way to relieve which frees up the mind for creativity and innovation. Optimistifc salespeople take control. They know sales is the greates t profession to be in duringa recession. They can meet with mentorws who can help them look at another way of doinv business intough times. They can outworok their competitors. They can invest in learningt and outsmarttheir competitor.
Optimistid salespeople manage results, not