Rose Mary Rumbley, Dallas historian, humorist, and entertainer, noticed this epitaph in an old cemetery in the Southeast: “If you are not enthusiastic about life, drop dead.” This inscription coincides with Emerson’s opinion that “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” (A senior citizen might argue that staying alive is a great achievement and worthy of enthusiasm.)
Salespersons on their daily round of calls strive to stay motivated and enthusiastic. They try to heed the warning of their sales manager that “If you are not ‘fired’ with enthusiasm, you will be ‘fired’ with enthusiasm.”
How can discouraged salespersons rejected by a surly prospect remain enthusiastic? They merely have to recall a principle from a long-ago sales course i.e. “Act enthusiastic, and you will be enthusiastic.” (Yes, ‘act enthusiastically’ is probably better grammar.)
Some may carp that pretending is insincere, but people pretend almost daily. We may pretend that we are happy to see someone when we are not, but courtesy and good order require a pretense. Or, we feign good cheer on arriving at work in the morning. In fact, repeated use of false enthusiasm may show us how to use the real kind.
Tags: sales desire, sales motivation, sales techniques, sales tips, SALES: by People, selling
