The Importance of Being Optimistic
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."—Winston Churchill
As I am about to embark on 14 hour car trip with all four kids in tow, I am compelled (FORCED) to channel my powerful inner optimist. We’ll be driving through seven states. Everyone I speak to shakes their head and utters, “Good luck with that.” Which to be honest, does not feel encouraging, nor does it feel like they are really sending positive vibes my way. What it really feels like is that they are internally muttering, “Better you than me, sucker.”
But I have no choice. We have to go. We ARE going. So I can either A) Lament this set of circumstances, dreading every moment, and suffering through the entire adventure (ORDEAL), or I can B) Prepare myself, and tell myself that it will all go just fine, we’ll get there when we get there, and we’ll handle any and all unforeseen difficulties as they present themselves.
So it got me thinking: when it comes to your business, are you an optimist or a pessimist?
Let’s be honest. On the surface, there has not been a lot of positive news out there with regard to the print industry. Or has there? If you look for it, there is good news every day. TONS of companies have been making investments in new digital technology. Hell, one company here in Illinois just bought five (COUNT ‘EM FIVE) new presses to keep up with demand. There is job opportunity. There are exciting advancements everywhere that are at the very least interesting conversation points we COULD be exploring with customers and prospects.
What do you know about 3-D Printing, or augmented reality? Discussions about these and other new offerings are everywhere. But I digress.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.
