Pink discusses Buoyancy as a critical aspect of a successful sales career. Buoyancy can be described as “staying afloat in a sea of rejection,” or simply bouncing back after a setback. There are thee key elements to buoyancy: interrogative self talk, positivity ratios, and explanatory style. I have written two previous blog posts that discuss the first two elements of buoyancy. The third element, explanatory style, occurs after the sales conversation has ended.
Explanatory style has to do with “how you debrief negative experiences that can impact future sales success.” This is where the heart of buoyancy lies, because it is your reaction post-sales conversations that will determine your future trajectory. This is the moment where you determine if you are an optimist or a pessimist, and your decision will be critical. Seligman did a study on metlife salespeople and found that those with an optimistic style sold 37% more than those with a pessimistic one. The data is overwhelming in support that optimists are more successful, and this again because of buoyancy.
If you think of the rejection within the sales context as permanent, pervasive, or personal than you are letting the sea of rejection drown you. The truth is, that rejection is not a theme unless you let it be. If you can see a rejection or a failure as temporary, then you can confidently move forward, learn and grow from the experience.
BoweryJE22