The Power of Positive Affirmations For Salespeople

One of my favorite quotes comes from Earl Nightingale, a radio broadcaster from the 1930s: “You become what you think about.” When you consider the importance of that concept, success often comes down to reprogramming your brain through positive self-talk.

And yes, you can joke about looking in the mirror and saying things like, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.” But those things are powerful. In the movie What About Bob, Bill Murray’s character repeats the mantra, “I feel good. I feel great. I feel wonderful.” And those are his “baby steps” – the positive affirmations he uses to convince himself that he can do anything.

You’re Already Talking to Yourself, So Be Kind

And that’s really what happens with self-talk. We have to be aware. We have to be open. We have to be cognizant of the words that we’re using when we talk to ourselves. Because you talk to yourself all day long, whether you realize it or not. And only you can determine if that talk is positive or negative.

Positive affirmations can be a great a way of convincing yourself of something that you might not be buying into immediately—the “Fake It ‘Til You Make It” principle. Sometimes you have to convince yourself that something is a great idea. And then when you can start to see the benefits of it, you’ll start to see the reward.

I have a positive affirmation hanging in my shower. It’s a laminated picture that says, “Today is going to be a great day.” And I read it every single day.

How Self Affirmations Worked For Me

I used to hit snooze. I would calculate, even in nine-minute increments, how late I could sleep. All because I just didn’t want to get up. And then somebody said, “All you have to do is convince yourself that you’re a morning person.” So I started telling myself I was a morning person. What happens when you start convincing yourself of things is that you realize your attitude is your choice.

You are 100% in charge of your attitude. You get to decide if you’re waking up on the right side of the bed or not. You get to decide if you’re a morning person. You get to decide if you’re going to be grumpy until you have that first cup of coffee.

It can be very challenging to start to using affirmations at first. The affirmation that I started using when I wanted to become a morning person was, “I leap out of bed each morning, and attack my day with gusto while the lazy man hits snooze!” Because nobody really wants to admit that they’re lazy, right?

It took a while for my “morning person” positive affirmation to turn into belief, but now my morning routine is a big part of who I am. (These days, when people ask me if I’m a morning a person, I say, “I’m an all day person!”)

Positive Affirmations Make You More Resilient

I believe that with a positive attitude, you can also choose to be more resilient. And so when you face a canceled contract or when you get a prospect that says no, you can use your resilience to bounce back from that negative thing that just happened to you. You can do this by having affirmations like, “I eat no’s for breakfast,” or “Every no gets me closer to my next yes.”

When you get a rejection or a sales setback, you may find it helpful to take a quick break and reread your affirmations to get back into the winning mindset.

How much better of a salesperson can you become if you adjust your attitude?

10 Impactful Affirmations for Salespeople

 Try any one (or several) of these affirmations to start your days on a positive note, reinforce your inner sales champion, and increase your bounce-back factor.

• I leap out of bed each morning ready to help my prospects!
• I manage my time effectively.
• I practice my sales scripts daily.
• I prospect every day!
• I’m pleasantly persistent with every objection I receive.
• I bounce back from each no I hear quickly.
• I’m a great listener and don’t interrupt my prospects.
• I practice abundance with my team and my territory.
• I focus on activity—not results.
• I look myself in the mirror each night and know that I tried my hardest and gave my business the attention it deserves.

Need some inspiration on saying your affirmations with enthusiasm? Try watching this famous example from my affirmation hero, Jessica:

(Man, that never gets old!)

Tips on Positive Affirmations

It’s not just about what works for me. Finding the perfect affirmations for you is a completely unique experience! Follow these basic tips to create and use affirmations that will get you in gear.

• Affirmations work best when they use impactful words and are written in first person and present tense.
• Read your affirmations daily.
• Write 10 of your own affirmations – the more personal, the better.
• When you feel your positive attitude falling, read your affirmations!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!