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Is Your Mouth Costing You Money?

Written by: Laura Posey

Article Overview: I share an office with 7 other people, so you can imagine how much chatter, interaction and “sharing” goes on, whether I want to listen or not. Each day I hear what is happening in the other businesses through the walls and in the hallways. As I was listening to one co-worker share her most recent interaction with a client, it dawned on my how powerful the story you tell impacts your listeners (even those who just passively overhear you) and your income.

Is Your Mouth Costing You Money?

I share an office with 7 other people, so you can imagine how much chatter, interaction and “sharing” goes on, whether I want to listen or not. Each day I hear what is happening in the other businesses through the walls and in the hallways.

As I was listening to one co-worker share her most recent interaction with a client, it dawned on my how powerful the story you tell impacts your listeners (even those who just passively overhear you) and your income.

The stories we tell are a reflection of the inner workings of our minds. We talk about what we think about. Telling someone our perception of what is happening in our lives is our way of letting them see how we think as well as what we believe.

Here is an example to illustrate. These are two personal stories from people I know well.

I overheard a business owner I know answering the question, “How’s business for you?” Her response was to sigh and say that things were tough over the past few months but that she was working hard to find any piece of business she could to get through this bad patch. She said she was reworking her pricing and doing jobs she didn’t normally take just to get by. Ultimately, she hopes she can get through this without going out of business.

Compare that to another salesman I know who has also had a rough time of it lately. His response is something like, “It has been a challenging economy but that has just made me more determined to find ways to help my prospects. We’re all in this together and if we just keep working to help each other, we’ll come out on top when this economic storm finally blows over.”

So which one of these people would you have more confidence buying from? Both have experienced similar hard times closing sales lately. Yet their stories and their predictions of their futures are vastly different. Their expectations of their situations will determine their outcomes and you can hear it in their descriptions.

What story do you tell people when they ask you a question? Do you complain about the economy or a difficult prospect? Or do you see these as minor obstacles on your path to your goals?

Make it a point this week to tell only good stories or find the good in each situation you come across. You’ll find that your outcomes and with them, your income, will change for the better.

If you have a great story to tell, I’d love to hear it!

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Article Tags: marketing, motivation, sales, sales tips, small business



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