You can’t fake it – so don’t even try.
It happens without speaking a word, yet what you’re transmitting speaks volumes . . . loudly. It’s also the first thing people notice about you.
It’s your attitude about yourself – something that you’re broadcasting to others all the time – for better or worse.
Your feelings of certainty, competence, and confidence – or uncertainty, incompetence, or inexperience – influence other people more than you might suspect.
Do you love your job, or hate it? Like people? Distrust people? Either way, it shows; and others are affected positively or negatively by the feelings you are emanating.
Your attitudes are determined by your personal opinions and feelings about yourself, others, your job and your life in general. Other people perceive each of these attitudes and more, every time you interact with them. The message comes across through your posture, your eyes, tone of voice, your manner, what you say and how you say it, your general outlook on life and other less visible elements.
As most customers base their buying decisions on how they feel around you first – and your company second – your attitude about yourself is a vital component of your job. Your first goal in selling anything is to get them to like you and trust you – which is directly proportional to how much you like and trust yourself.
There is a powerful element at work here; it can propel you to stellar heights or sabotage your best efforts at getting ahead. If you don’t like you, neither will they. And if they don’t like you, they will search out or invent reasons not to buy from you.
So if you’re not feeling that great about yourself today, what can you do? Here are a couple of tips that might help.
First, just imagine that you have something to smile about. Then force yourself to smile for at least one minute, yes, just smile. It may be a little artificial at first, but soon you’ll find it’s easier to do without effort. Before long, you’ll find it’s contagious and you’ll see others smiling as well.
Next, find something that you like or admire about yourself, your job, your customers, your life or anything at all.
Keep at it for at least one minute or until you feel a slight change for the better.
It only takes a very slight change to create a huge difference in the way you are perceived by others.
The result is that you will attract more attention, interest, business, income and referrals from happy customers – - – and soon you really will have something to smile about.
Try it. It’s easier than you think.
daniel w. jacobs
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master class series #121
