For many years when a sale didn’t go my way I would take it very personally and I would get upset thinking about the customer. I would play the meetings over and over again in my head and get frustrated. I would paint this awful picture of how the customer just used me for information or had no intention of buying anything. I would say things like, “How could he use me like that? What a waste of time! What a real jerk that guy was.” I would label the customer as a jerk, or some other creative, negative reference. You don’t want to do this and let me tell you why.
It is very important to avoid labeling anyone for anything that they may have done to you. You want to up your game, right? You want to get to the top, right? You want to be insanely successful, right? If so, you have to focus on positive thinking, and focus your thoughts on the future. You cannot move forward or become closer to the results that you want if you keep thinking of events or people in the past. For every negative thought you have, you lost out on having a positive one.
In addition to this reasoning, it is important that you understand how you think controls how you feel. So when you start thinking about that particular customer who pulled one over on you, or used you, and you find yourself saying, “what a real jerk he was,” you naturally begin to feel negative. You begin to feel frustration. Your heart rate may elevate and your muscles tighten up and your facial expression turns sour. You feel anger and frustration. The more you think negatively, the more you feel negative. How the heck are you going to the top if you are going to spend time feeling this way? You can’t!
Instead, the next time you begin on a thought trip about some bad customer experience and you start to say the word, “j-e-r-k…,” pause. Take a pause and tell yourself, “No, he was not a jerk. I am sure he only meant well. He meant well for his business too. I am sure he is a decent man and I only wish him the best. I let go. He is a good man, he is not a jerk.”
By saying these words, you are now controlling how you feel, which is positive. Meaning, you feel calm, relaxed, and have closure so that you can focus on the future. By wishing no harm and by not labeling, you don’t get upset. And in some way, shape, or form, your positivity towards that customer will somehow return back to you. You will see more positive results in the future. You will also have a lot more peace of mind.
Why play that old record over and over, with name calling and anger towards someone? It won’t do you any good. Let it go and genuinely wish them the best. This is going to help you get to the top, I promise.
-Enjoy!