Is it fair to explore potential negative outcomes? Of course it is. This realist approach is simply a fear of embracing optimism. They believe that it is right to explore everything that may go wrong, and to question whether or not the outcome can be as positive as they hope, lest they be disappointed. They believe that this occupies some middle ground between optimism and pessimism. I know that some people prefer to consider themselves realists. It wouldn’t, and it won’t. Pessimism is detrimental to your success, particularly in sales. If you were pessimistic, would you be inspired to pick up the phone and dial the prospect that has told you no for two years? Would your pessimism allow you to pursue your dream accounts, knowing that they have a long relationship with one of your fiercest competitors? Would your pessimism allow you to believe that you can and will succeed in finding a way to create value for your company and your customer? How well would pessimism work as the philosophical outlook for salespeople? To test an idea, sometimes it is helpful to examine its opposite.
Optimism allows you to draw on your resourcefulness to overcome obstacles and roadblocks, instead of deciding not to try. It allows you to believe that you can create enough value to change your dream client’s mind. It allows you to believe that–eventually–something will change for the prospective client that change will result in your gaining an opportunity. It underpins your belief that the next call will be the call that moves the chains. It allows you to believe that you can make a difference. Would you pick up the phone and dial the next prospect if you believed it wouldn’t make a difference? Would you again (and again) call the prospect that has already told you no so many times that you have lost count? That sounds like an awesome job, and we call it B2B sales!īut what if all of your dream clients already had a provider of your product or services? What if instead of greeting you and your offerings with open arms, your first response from these prospective customers was almost always a resounding no? What if I added the additional duty of continuing to call and develop these prospective customers even when the chance for acquiring some of them was relatively low–and in some cases non-existent? Imagine leading and managing that value creation process. Imagine a job where your role is creating value for these prospective customers by providing them with your company’s products or services, helping them with their problems and challenges, and helping to make massive improvements that make them more competitive in their space.
Imagine a job in which part of the way that you create value is by acquiring new customers. Optimism is a foundational success skill for sales people. Optimism is a personal choice to view things positively. It’s the belief that things will work out for the best, regardless of how the situation looks today.
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