Words have power. If you say, for instance, “Here are three reasons why your plan will not work…” you have just increased the chances that the plan will, in fact, not work.

Fortunately, the reverse is also true. Here are a few words that could help stop your dwindling profits (and I'm saving the best one for last):

•“Let's figure out new ways to make sales.”
•“What are some ways we can make our products more valuable?”
•“What would wild success look like? How can we increase the chances of that happening?”
•“What can we learn from the bad thing that just happened, and thereby turn it into a good thing? What value can we extract from this problem?”

And now for my favorite…

“However…” use this word whenever following up a declaration about a negative thing that just happened.

For instance: “Yes, I know we just had our lowest sales month in the company's history. However…” and then fill in the blank. Finish the sentence. Put yourself on the spot.

Become a “however” person.