Take 5
Embracing Optimism for Sales Success
With Jackson Kerchis
TRT: 4m 8s
Video Transcription

Jackson Kerchis directly addresses camera:  When you describe your day, do you focus on what could go wrong or what could go right? And it turns out how you answer that can mean success or a tough road when it comes to sales. So I'm Jackson Kerchis, I'm a partner at Happiness Means Business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I've spent years diving into this intersection of happiness and business performance.

And as cliche it sounds, how you think truly determines your success, right? It's not just cliche, but something we can observe in the psychology literature. Let's take five minutes to discuss the critical role of optimism in sales success and some practical strategies to cultivate this mindset. Because optimism is more than just a positive outlook, it's scientifically backed tool for enhancing performance.

A comprehensive study by Martin Seligman in 1985 at MetLife insurance illustrated this vividly. He tested thousands of employees for both optimism and aptitude, and the results were astounding. Two years after hiring, optimistic employees sold 31% more than their more pessimistic counterparts and even those who failed the aptitude test but scored high on optimism outsold others by about 57% after the second year.

So this underscores the direct link between optimism and sales performance. Now, many believe that optimism is an inherent trait. You're either kind of born optimist or a pessimist. However, Seligman model of learned optimism demonstrates that a person can develop optimism over time. This transformation often begins with understanding and altering what's called our explanatory style. This is how we interpret at life events.

A crucial aspect of optimism is how we explain what happens to us. So pessimists view good events as temporary, local and external, while negative events are seen as permanent, pervasive and personal. For example, a pessimist is late to their kids soccer game and they think I'm a terrible parent. An optimist, on the other hand, might say, okay, I was late this one time because of traffic, but I'll just leave a little bit earlier next time.

So to develop a more optimistic explanatory style, start by actually writing down your thoughts when faced with setbacks and look for patterns of those three P's permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization, and then consciously reframe those thoughts to be more temporary, specific and external. So this practice can shift your mindset over time. Another well-researched protocol is called the Best Possible Life Exercise.

This practical exercise takes about 15 minutes a few times a week, where you actually journal about your ideal future in various areas of life. You have career, relationships, health, hobbies. And again, it's not wishful thinking. It's grounded in practice, backed by positive psychology research that shows this can improve happiness, mental health, and resilience. Ultimately, again, enhancing sales performance.

So just managing stress and anxiety is really crucial for maintaining an optimistic outlook. One effective technique is the physiological side. It's a breathing exercise that can down regulate your nervous system in a matter of seconds. You breathe in through your nose. Take a quick inhale at the top, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Doing this just five minutes a day can improve your mood.

Reduce anxiety, making you more resilient and high pressure or stressful sales situations. Want to be more successful? Well, investing in your psychological and emotional well-being can profoundly impact your actions and your results. Optimism isn't just a feel good concept. It's really a strategic asset that by cultivating a more optimistic mindset, you become more engaged, focused and resilient. And these are, of course, qualities that directly translate to sales success.