op·por·tun·ist (ŏp'ər-tōō'nĭst, -tyōō'-)
n. One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end.
Last week I was talking with a retailer about the importance of optimism, especially these days. I loved her comment, "I'm both an optimistic and an opportunist." I have to say I don't think I've ever before heard anyone describe herself that way.
She explained that her father used to say that one of the keys to success is to never miss an opportunity when one is presented to you. She said that it was her father's belief that people encounter many more opportunities than they realize. As a result, they miss out on many. So this woman has lived her entire life looking for opportunities every single day. I don't know about you but I find this incredibly powerful.
It reminded me of a salesman who worked for me at The Sharper Image. I like to joke that Jeff was the most annoying man in retail but boy, could he sell. Now that I think about it, what made Jeff so successful is that he was an opportunist. He saw opportunities no one else on the staff did.
He was the kind of person who would ask questions and show products to a customer who came in asking us to make change for the parking meter. When other salespeople might be annoyed at being asked to make change by someone who clearly didn't plan to make a purchase, Jeff saw an opportunity to engage the person and attempt to make a sale. To tell the truth he was rarely successful in making a sale to the person asking for change but it's that opportunistic mindset that made him our top salesman almost every month.
Jeff is the only person I've ever known who tried to sell the UPS guy something every day. We always told Jeff to back off but of course when the UPS driver finally did make a purchase it's not hard to guess who made the sale. Jeff.
Are you looking for the opportunities in your day or could you missing one or two as so many people do? Think about it. Every day there are coaching opportunities, selling opportunities, new product opportunities, learning opportunities, and for you single readers there might even be romantic opportunities!
Here's a challenge I'll throw out to you today. I'd like you to find one or two opportunities today that can improve your business, your staff, or most of all.. . . . .you!
In these times being both an optimist and an opportunist will be an incredible competitive advantage.
Comments