By Lenny Pittala, Area Manager
Added May 29, 2009
I was speaking with a prospective client the other day about the economy and his business, and he said something that surprised me. Just as I was waiting for him to tell me he was pulling back, he told me he was charging ahead as aggressively as he could. When I asked him why, he told me:
“Many businesses are pulling back right now; however, in a couple of months when things have stabilized and my competitors begin to move again, I’ll be way ahead of them. This is the time to grab market share, get a jump on my competition, and to put myself in a position to capitalize as things turn around—which they will.”
As I listened to him, my own attitude started to turn around!
“You see,” he continued, “in 2009, things are going to settle down. They may be shaky for a bit, but after a while, business will improve and companies will start focusing on growing again. The smartest thing we can do right now is to keep getting better. Improve on training; improve services and all product offerings. Everything I do now will pay off over the next six months, and it will all give me a tremendous edge over our competition, who is sitting on the sidelines right now.”
When we concluded the call, I was sold. He was right. Things are going to change, and everything that I do today will make me more successful when it does.
As I thought about our call, I realized how true the saying “attitudes are contagious” really is and how it affected me. After weeks of hearing prospects tell me “we’re just trying to survive,” or some variation of that, I had gotten kind of down and I’m sure my attitude was coming across in my interactions with others.
Now I am determined to not let my prospects’ “recession attitudes” affect me. Rather, I’ll be combating those challenges with a heavy dose of my own positive attitude. This practice will help keep me positive, bringing in new business deals and attracting more clients!
Not only does this practice apply to me, it applies to our retailers as well. If you are struggling right now, take a moment to ask yourself: “Do I want someone to catch my current attitude?” If the answer is no, take steps to adjust your attitude and good things will follow.
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