I was driving around last week listening to a guy named Andy Andrews in my car, and he said something that hit me right between the eyes. Mr. Andrews (author of the book The Traveler’s Gift) was saying that if he was allowed only 1 minute on stage and one thing to say that would change someone’s life, it would be an easy decision for him to know what to cover. He said his advice would be to:

SMILE WHILE YOU TALK

That’s it- crazy, huh? Seems so simple, but it’s such a common denominator. Listen to people you are on the phone with, you can literally HEAR THEM SMILING WHILE THEY’RE TALKING. I guarantee they are having a more productive and successful day than the person who is NOT smiling. As for these people, you can hear the corners of the mouth turned down and just feel the energy being shut down.

Smile while you talk- if there is a magical sales bullet when you are making cold calls, this is as close as it gets.

Brian Tracy even says that “the most powerful thing a salesperson can do is to be walking into a meeting with a smile just leaving their lips.” Sometimes finding and keeping that true smile is harder to do than other times, but that’s OK.

So how can you do this?

1. Use a Mirror

This is a practical physical step and can be useful to check yourself, especially when making sales calls on the phone.

2. Live a Life of Gratitude

A forced smile is sometimes better than no smile, but clearly the nuclear bomb of persuasion is a sincere smile that comes from within. Being thankful for the things in your life allows you to “not sweat the small stuff.”

3. Honest Communication with a Coach

Sitting down and just letting someone know what’s really going on inside is usually incredibly liberating. If you are honest and let off a little steam, you will feel lighter after the talk and see better results immediately. I’m not talking about just bitching to anyone who’ll listen (one of the UNhealthiest things you can do), but a proper airing of the soul with someone who can help.

4. Gratitude Lists - as part of your everyday routine

Practicing gratitude is helpful even when we do it just once, but it’s AMAZING when we make it a habit. By really appreciating yourself, your Life and the people you interact with daily, you find you smile so fast and so strong it will make your head spin. I dare you to try it out.

I imagine there are lots of other ideas that haven’t been mentioned, and I would love to see yours posted below. I hope you have a wonderful week- find your smile and good things will find you.

Be Free!

Roger Seip

Author's Bio: 

This article is available for reprint as long as the following bio is included intact.

Roger is co-owner of Freedom Personal Development deliverfreedom.com . He teaches workshops around the country on memory training, goal setting, attitude management and time management.

To read more articles by Roger, visit deliverfreedom.com/blog/author/roger-seip/

Contact: Roger@deliverfreedom.com 888-233-0407