Battery Issues Fail to Zap Marcia's Positive Energy

Above: Marcia Rubin, Reelady with Mike Iaconelli a.k.a Ike


When talking to "Reelady" Marcia Rubin earlier this week I had the opportunity to ask her about the boat issues she had prior to last week's Championship. What was believed to be a simple "battery issue" quickly snowballed into an electronics nightmare, which threatened to sideline Marcia for her practice day... or even worse, the entire Championship!

Have you ever had that happen to a sale? Maybe one issue cropped up, and then another... and before you know it the entire sale seems like it's a catastrophe!

But the issues didn't alarm Marcia. "I'm a very optimistic person. You never know what can happen, and if you give up you will never know. If there's a hurdle I will find a way around it."

It turns out that the issue was simply a loose wire. "I knew it would all work out," Marcia asserted, "it always does and I become a better person for the experience."

This incredibly optimistic attitude isn't unique to Marcia. I've found that most of the top Pros have that mentality. It seems like such a little thing, but it can make a world of difference on and off the boat.

Salespeople should embrace that same positive attitude. Similar to bass fishing, there are a million things out of our control that can go wrong before, during or after a sale. Whenever any "crisis" hits us there are really only two options; stay positive and look for an opportunity to make it better, OR get frustrated and close yourself to any opportunities such as Michael Iaconelli did in the 2006 Classic- going into an angry tirade when he found his fish dying in his livewell.

I can't tell you the number of times in my sales career that I felt like Iaconelli (Ike) did during that Classic. I think I'm having a great sales day (week, month), and then something totally unforeseen starts killing my sales! I just want to go crazy! Experience has taught me, however, that going crazy doesn't accomplish anything productive- as Ike will tell you. I should note, for my non bass fishing enthusiasts, that Ike refocused himself after that incident and won the 2006 Angler of the Year!

So whether you're the eternal optimist like Marcia, or the emotional guy like Ike, one thing is certain; When a crisis happens (and it will, that's life) the best course is to stay positive and optimistic about what will happen. Maybe that big sale you just lost will lead you to an even bigger opportunity!