Book Recommendation
When we think of sales we often think of individuals pushing hard to sell specific products or services. Daniel Pink's book,
To Sell Is Human, makes it clear that sales transcends beyond our conventional thinking on the matter.
Obviously recruiting could be classified as sales in the traditional sense but did you know that "people spend about 40% of their time at work engaged in non-sales selling - persuading, influencing and convincing others in ways that don't involve anyone making a purchase." As a college coach you not only have to sell your program to prospective student-athletes and families but you also have to sell ideas to your current players, maybe an assistant coach, a sports supervisor or a potential donor.
Pink offers an interesting take on the positive power of self talk stating that "too much positive self talk can be as unproductive as too little. Negative emotions offer us feedback on our performance, information on what's working and what's not, and hints about how to do better."
When something bad occurs ask yourself 3 questions; (1) Is this permanent? (2) Is this pervasive (3) Is this personal. "The more you explain bad events as temporary, specific and external the more likely you are to persist even in the face of adversity.
Blemishing Effect Definition: adding a minor negative detail in an otherwise positive description of a target can give that description a more positive impact - "being honest about the existence of a small blemish can enhance your offering's true beauty." So the next time you are selling an idea to any of the many stakeholders you deal with don't be afraid to acknowledge one or two negatives.
