5. What is the best approach to problems?
"You don't understand - my company has some big problems and it makes my job really tough!" Pick up the Sunday paper, go to the classified section and find a job that has no problems. If it is there - they don't need you. A company with problems is a company with opportunities!
A problem is a chance for you to show your best. There are people who spend all their time reinforcing obstacles. Office politics. Perceived defects in the product or service. Impossibly tough competition. Endless personal problems. Unfair commission schedules. We all have problems.
A persistent negative outlook will not only make it difficult for coworkers and supervisors to work with you--it will make it difficult for customers to work with you.
It's common to hear a salesperson complain, "you don't understand how much is expected of us here."
The goals of most sales managers are usually pretty clear-cut: get good results from the staff. If you're not making sales, complaining about everything is only going to compound the problem. Not only will you be wasting valuable time you could be using to talk to new customers, but you'll also lose the perspective you need to identify and resolve the problems you're having.
Many companies have had the experience of having a salesperson perform poorly in a certain territory, complaining that "the market is saturated". Take that person off the territory, put someone else on it, and sales take off.
Usually, the first salesperson focuses on limitations, while the new sales person brings no preconceptions to the territory, and sees fresh opportunities as a result.
The best approach to problems is to become part of the solution. Leaving one company because of problems and going to another is a trade off for new problems. No one likes to be around someone with a negative attitude. Carrying around negativity drags you down and keeps you from moving full speed ahead. A persistent positive attitude can cancel the negative one's.
It takes much more work to remain positive than negative. Negativity in the work environment can spread like a cancer. It starts with one member and quickly moves to other members until the whole office or company is infected. Obstacles will always be a permanent fixture of everyday life, but the bright side is there are ways around them. Satisfaction comes from being victorious over those obstacles.
Years ago I had a customer tell me that he was going to leave and go to a competitor. When I asked why he told me all the things that were wrong with my company. After he told me I realized that I was the one who told him all those things. A good lesson about saying something negative about your own company - it will always come back to bite you.
Comments:
Having sales positions at two companies doing the same thing, one with a positive environment, and one that was not, I quickly noticed how much better my personal health was once I was involved with a “yes we can” environment.
Mark Brackett
Do you know the difference between an issue and a problem? Issues are discussed and problems are dealt with. I think a lot of times it is easy for a person to turn an issue into something bigger than it really is, like a problem. This is where a lot of the negativity comes from. And like you talked about in this lesson it takes 4 positive actions or comments to make up for one negative. I try to remain positive in all situations regardless if the call did not go so well. Tomorrow is a new day!
Jason Kirouac
I agree when there is negativity it takes more to get positive. When I know the problem may lay within my company my response to my customers is passion and understanding about the way they feel. Letting them know I am there for them and we will resolve it together.
My goal is to let my customers know they are my partner and we are working towards a long and happy future together. Sometimes it’s really hard to get over that negative side. I find that it helps to take a 10 minute break to clear my head and remind myself that we can’t sweat the small stuff.
Sarah Jones
I learned a long time ago how badly negativity can drain you if you allow it.
I was in the wrong seat working at a great company but my negativity about having to stay in a chair and work behind a computer with a headset was about to drive me stir crazy. The upper management had a negative attitude toward the company and it filtered all the way down to us worker bees.
I remember going into work and as I walked thru the office I smiled and asked everyone how they were. The majority of replies I got were negative. Once I made it to my department I asked my co-workers and got smiles and heard great things. I asked one co-worker “so are you going to ask how I’m doing today?” She said I always ask and I get the same answer. Wow, she shocked me. That’s when she said to me “I love my job and this company and if you are so unhappy in your role change seats or leave the company!”
As I thought about what she said I came to the realization that my negativity was infecting her and her perception of the entire company.
Wow, I didn’t want to be known as the person that infected people with negativity. I wanted to be known as the person that was happy and someone that did a great job. That’s something that has stuck with me over the years.
I’m not a negative person and choose to not associate with people that aren’t optimistic. I share that story when I detect negativity towards a position, management or a company. Choose to be happy everyday; people will notice.
Becky Akins
Everyone needs to get a sign and post it on the mirror in the bathroom. It should read "Your looking at the problem!" More times than not, that would be correct! Even if you are not a negative person, when you listen to a coworker run the company down and don't say anything, you become an enabler. The best response I have found is to ask the person " What do you think we would have to do to fix this?" or " If you owned this company, how would you have handled that issue?" Sometimes it's best to suggest that they do look for other employment....even help them look!
Cee Coats
"The best approach to problems is to become part of the solution. Everyone needs to find out if the problem is a problem for them as an individual or is it a problem for the company?. I believe most individuals perceive problems as a personal problem; if they can overcome that, and discuss the situation with others (supervisor, coworkers,) sometimes a team effort may come up with a better solution. I believe that most companies attempt to work as a team-rely on that team. The information provided indicates that a problem is a chance for a person to show their best. That is valuable!!!! I am not sure of all the answers to this question, but I do know that losing the negativity is the first step."
Jennifer Anderson
"You're absolutely right Bob, every company has problems. Leaving one company because of problems and going to another is a trade off for new problems. My motto on that is, "don't sweat the small stuff", and "it's all small stuff". No one likes to be around someone with a negative attitude. It's like swimming in muck. Carrying around negativity drags you down and keeps you from moving full speed ahead. A persistent positive attitude can cancel the negative one."
Kate Farrell
"I once heard a statement that had a profound effect on me..."It takes 4 positive actions or comments to make up for one negative action or comment". Honestly, it takes much more work to remain positive than negative. Why is that? I do not have the answer. But from lesson 5, I can tell you that negativity in the work environment can spread like a cancer. It starts with one member and quickly moves to other members until the whole office or company body is infected. Obstacles will always be a permanent fixture of everyday life, but the bright side is there are ways around them. Satisfaction comes from being victorious over those obstacles. Perseverance and optimism comes from deep within everyone's individual personal well. We just have to learn to tap into it."
Sharalene
This may be a different analogy but getting caught up in the misery of your problems is like an addict wallowing in his drug addiction. An addict will associate themselves with other addicts to make oneself feel better until he has had enough of the misery and finds a solution to live a clean life. By identifying problems and finding solutions, salespeople can keep a positive attitude and keep an open mind that will benefit their company and their clients.
Gregg Nixon
"A problem is a chance for you to show your best. We all have problems. Office politics. Perceived defects in the product or service. Impossibly tough competition. Endless personal problems. Unfair commission schedules."