The Golden ration of positivity (3:1) was a very intriguing topic for me. As someone who is more negative leaning, this will be a more a more tedious skill to learn but will be very valuable.

What make positive thinking so valuable though? When you have an upbeat positive attitude, it tells the customer that you are in a good mood. It tells them that you are ready to go, to take own every need that they may throw and will work to make sure they are satisfied. It shows that you are confident in whatever you are selling to the customer, which the customer will see as a certain flavor of honesty. They see the benefits of the product, and the salesperson’s positive attitude assures them that it is legit, and not some act.

However, its important to be carful about how positive you are around customers. For some, too much positivity can be a major turnoff and will drive customers away. This makes the 1 negative in the 3:1 ratio so important. Just the right about of negativity will allow us to stay grounded and not develop unrealistic beliefs and expectations. Professor Sweet humorously illustrated this by explaining The American Idol Effect. In the audition, the contestant was so positive and over-her-head that she couldn’t believe that she had not only a bad audition but the worst that the judges had ever seen! Furthermore, a little bit of negativity will create a form of constructive criticism that will make the salesperson better.

I will need to work on showing my positivity more effectively, but I’m glad to have learned about the 3:1 rule… The Golden Ratio.

One thought on “The Effects of Positivity”
  1. Hi Jack,
    Yeah I was thinking about the Golden positivity rule too this week. I thought it was sort of an odd test that we took in class. I had a pretty rough day the day before and received a really low score. Overall though, I’m a pretty positive person. I wonder how actually achievable keeping this “3:1” ration actually is.

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