The Sales Sage: 

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Gandhi

The whining post generated some off-line discussions…many of you have yet to feel comfortable posting your thoughts in the comments section.  This is OK – feel free to let me know your thoughts however you see fit – the important part is that I am striking a cord.  Which is great – so thank you for your feedback!

Most really liked the post because you know a few whiners yourself…

A couple felt I was a little too harsh.  Perhaps I was – but the purpose of The Sales Sage is not to write about hearts and flowers and make everybody feel good.

The purpose of The Sales Sage is to give real, honest, wisdom and advice to individuals in a selling situation.  Sometimes advice comes in the form of tough love.

Today as a balance to my “tough” love – here is a breakdown of how you fix your “whining complex”.

1.       The first step to any problem is to admit you have one.  <Insert LOL>. Yes, we have first admit we are whining.  It is often difficult to diagnose a whining situation – but when you can take a step back from a situation and ask yourself “self, do I sound like I am whining?” that is a very good start.  This can take years and years of practice to “catch” yourself whining – but I promise you if you work at it you will get better with time.

2.       Decide if the reason you are whining is a valid one.  If it is petty – losing free sodas at work, annoying habits of co-workers – please – get over yourself and get back to your J.O.B.  If it is something that has some merit – then move to step 3.

3.       Is this a problem you can fix?  Pay cuts at work?  Nope you can’t fix that – if personal finances are tight – look around…they are tight for everyone.  Whining doesn’t fix that problem, careful spending does. 

4.       Perhaps you do have an issue that can be solved, but not by you alone – this is where you can make an impact.  Nobody likes a whiner, but everyone loves innovation and solutions.  If you see something that you think can be done better – instead of whining about it - take some initiative! Write up a proposal and submit it to your boss – it will never hurt and it shows that you care about the organization and its future.  Even if your proposal never goes anywhere – what it will do is open up dialogue.

The moral of the story is if you aren’t a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.  Instead of whining about what is bothering you – take action and do something about it.