I received a lot of excellent feedback on the newsletter article I sent last week about whether negative people outnumber positive ones. This week, I thought I would share some of that thinking from your fellow readers — owners, executives, managers, and salespeople:

Julie, a senior Vice President, wrote “I love this email. I think there are more positive people, but they are quieter.” This is absolutely correct: positive people are content and don’t necessarily feel the need to communicate that contentment. But negative folks tend to feel better by getting their issues, and often anger, out into the open. This is why “positive people are quieter.”

Jeff, a client and chairman of a multigenerational wholesale distribution company, wrote “Most of my associates are also positive people, partly because of my lead. A hearty “Good morning!” every day goes a long way in creating a positive culture.” Think the about that. This is an extremely successful man — in business and in life — taking time to note the power of an enthusiastic morning greeting, which is something most of us take for granted. Perhaps we shouldn’t.

One of my favorite responses came from Luanne, a senior account manager at a company I worked with a few years ago. She said, “I’m blessed beyond words and one of the main reasons I have stayed with [my company] over the last 11 years is their attitude and outlook—positive, fun, celebrations of life (baby, weddings, retirements, and all of the holidays!) We live and breathe happy and positive and it shows with our world-class customer care! This is a GREAT small company. If someone is negative, they do not last [here].” For owners and executives: here is the impact of the culture you set at your company. The kind of environment described here is not an accident. It’s intentional. And it creates staff members who are raving fans. Customers feel this immensely.

A fellow consultant, Tom, wrote “Thank you, again, Alex, for another fine contribution to the world. I believe most people would say that I am a very positive person. I agree with you that positive, “sells.” Not only are the best professional salespeople positive, but they also use their positive attitudes to deliver exemplary customer service.“ My top takeaway from this wisdom is that the best salespeople are positive. But so many are not. Which means it’s pretty easy for us to stand out from the crowd.

Distributor salesperson Jim emailed “I agree with you, I do believe positive thinkers are in the minority. I love the unicorn reference and believe you’re spot on. We’re a product of our environment & we need to constantly work on our craft. Negative information in, Negative results. Conversely, positive information in positive results. You have a very healthy attitude & you do it with enthusiasm, a rare attribute in life.”

How to avoid negative information?

Let’s give my good friend Dennis, a retired association executive director, the last word: “One antidote is to turn off the news.”

If you would like to infuse positivity and mindsets that create 20-30% annual sales growth, which is what my clients average, please call me directly at 847-459-6322 or simply reply to this email.