Have you ever been in a sales slump? I think all of us have at some point. But one of the things that I’ve realized over the years is that how we think about these situations and how we speak about them makes a real difference in how resilient we are. Ultimately, our resilience impacts how successful we are at managing through a period of slow sales.
I was struck by a recent article I read on the topic of resilience that was published on CNBC.com. A Harvard-trained psychologist said that we can identify resilient people based on how they talk about the situation that they’re in. They tend to be very deliberate in what they say about their challenges. Typical statements that a resilient individual might say to describe a difficult circumstance might be: “I can get through this,” “What can I learn from the situation?,” or “This is something I need to let go of.” To me, these statements reflect a recognition that they have control over how they respond to any given situation.
While the psychologist focused on what was being verbalized, my thoughts turned to ‘self-talk’ – the internal dialogue that we all engage in on an ongoing basis. I think that what we say to ourselves about a situation impacts how we feel and how we are able to respond. Our ‘self-talk’ shapes our reality and regulates our emotions. As a result, ‘self-talk’ can impact the outcome because it affects behavior.
If you find yourself thinking only negative things about a challenging situation like slower sales, you may be headed for trouble. Try thinking about whether you can turn the situation around in your head and look for aspects that you can control, whether it is how much you think about it or whether you can take steps to address a portion of it.
I’m not suggesting that we all become unrealistically optimistic, but I am suggesting that how we perceive a situation (as expressed in our self-talk) influences how effectively we can act. I believe that we can manage our thoughts to achieve the resilience that is going to help any salesperson work their way out of a slump.
Have you recently felt challenged by this? If so, reach out to me, and let’s get a conversation going about we might be able to find a way to help. Contact me at One of a Kind Sales by calling 908-879-2911 or emailing Nancy@OneofaKindSales.com.
