A positive attitude is everything for customer engagement and relationship building, isn’t it? Priceless.
The two most powerful things in existence: a kind word and a thoughtful gesture.
- Ken Langone
You perhaps have heard this very old story illustrating the difference between positive thinking and negative thinking:
Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.
The first salesman reported back, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”
The second salesman reported back, “There is massive potential here – nobody wears shoes.”
This simple short story provides one of the best examples of how a single situation may be viewed in two quite different ways – negatively or positively.
There’s a passage in Ernest Hemingway’s 1925 novel, The Sun Also Rises, in which a character is asked how he went bankrupt. “Two ways,” he answers. “Gradually, then suddenly.” The quote has since become emblematic of how a crisis takes shape. First with small signs you hardly notice and then with shocking impact.
We could explain this also in terms of seeing a situation’s problems and disadvantages, instead of its opportunities and benefits.
When telling this story its impact is increased by using exactly the same form of words (e.g., “nobody wears shoes”) in each salesman’s report. This emphasizes that two quite different interpretations are made of a single situation.
Here is another good example. Anthony Trollope was in the business of writing books and writing a book is a big project. It is not the type of task that you can complete in a day. In some cases, merely writing a chapter is too big a task for a single day. However, instead of measuring his progress based on the completion of chapters or books,
Trollope measured his progress in 15-minute increments. This approach allowed him to enjoy feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment very quickly while continuing to work on the large task of writing a book.
This is a big deal for two reasons: Small measures of progress help to maintain momentum and a positive attitude over the long-run, which means you’re more likely to finish large tasks. The faster you complete a productive task, the more quickly your day develops an attitude of productivity and effectiveness.
I have found this second point, the speed with which you complete your first task of the day, to be of particular importance for maintaining a highly productive output day after day.
If you are in a business where you deal with people on a regular basis, like we are, your motivation and attitude need to be in ‘top gear’ (as it will usually impact most issues of the day).
By spending 5-10 minute at the beginning of each workday reading and thinking of the items in the following simple checklist, we help our employees be the best they can be for the day’s activities:
Helping people
You can only help people who want to be helped.
Become an optimist
People who think as an optimist see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in tougher times.
Respect differences
Appreciate and respect differences in others.
Increase flow experiences
We define flow as a state in which it feels as if time is standing still. It occurs when you are so focused on what you are doing that you become one with the task. In this state, nothing competes for your attention.
Listen
Listen before speaking and listen more than you speak.
Nurture relationships
The most positive people we know are the ones who make friends easily and work to build deep, meaningful relationships.
Conserve energy
Don’t waste your energy on negative people or situations. You can’t fix everything or everybody.
The future
You can’t predict the future so why think that you can?
Practice acts of kindness
Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to create a positive attitude.
Being liked
Not everyone you meet is going to like you. Not something to worry about, is it?
Express gratitude
When you appreciate what you love, what you love appreciates in value. If you aren’t thankful for what you already have, you will have a hard time ever being positive.
Only you
Only YOU can control your destiny. Take initiative on your own behalf.
Strangers
View strangers as friends in waiting. Seize these opportunities.
Savor life’s joys
Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to soak up the positives all around you.
Be forgiving
Harboring a feeling of hate and meanness is horrible for your attitude and well-being.
Commit to your goals
Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to do whatever it takes to achieve our objectives.
Avoid social comparisons
Comparing yourself to someone else can be a poison to your positive thinking.
Develop coping strategies
It always helps to have healthy ways to cope with your arsenal.
Do you consider your company a social commerce business? While there has been considerable hype about social commerce in the last few years, we don’t consider it new … it has been around as long as commerce. These days there are just more channels to engage customers and be social. Positive thinking is everything in this regard.
Key takeaways
Remember, this is the time to create remarkable experiences in order to create lasting relationships with customers. Lead with initiative … own the moment. Remember attitude is everything.
The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. By focusing on a positive daily attitude we are much more inclined to be the optimist and find the opportunity, aren’t we?
Being social with great positive thinking and attitude isn’t a new way of marketing; it’s a way of doing business.
