10 Feb The Importance of a Positive Attitude in Sales
One of the most overlooked keys to sales success is Attitude. A positive attitude consists of being mentally optimistic and self-confident. It is essential in sales—and life!
Attitude is as important as skill in determining sales success. How can you perform well if you’re not in your best mental state? If you don’t believe you will be successful, you will not be.
I went into every sales call believing I would win and close each sale, regardless of the circumstances. This was not conceit or overconfidence. If I gave a better-than-average explanation of how my solution could provide the prospect with exceptional value, they would buy from me after I went through a traditional sales cycle. I have always had exceptional product, application, and industry knowledge and knew I could handle any question or objection. Plus, I always knew the pros and cons of our competition and could easily differentiate our solution.
I was always self-motivated to close every sale. It was not satisfactory to come in second place or have the prospect not to decide. When I lost a decision, which was infrequent, I was usually miserable and tried to replay where I could have made a better choice and done something different during the sales cycle.
I often did not see this positive attitude when I observed other sales pros. Many were overwhelmed by the uncertainty of not knowing how to approach the prospect, what strategy to employ, and what message to deliver. They were more afraid of losing the sale than confident of closing it. Consequently, they did not have an optimistic attitude. Buyers can sense this and gravitate to the more confident supplier. People like to do business with optimistic and friendly people. And they can sense when a sales pro is acting falsely. Also, nobody likes to do business with a “Debbie Downer.”
Some sales pros were also not confident they would reach or exceed their quota and went into meetings with prospects afraid to make any mistakes, especially when their sales manager was present.
President Abraham Lincoln replaced Civil War General George McClellan because the General was more concerned about losing a battle than interested in winning.1 That attitude prevented him from taking the risks necessary, resulting in a prolonged war. This attitude also applies to professional sports; for example, a hockey team that only plays defense when holding a lead near the end of the game or a football coach decides to go for a tie rather than a win.
The attitude of trying not to lose is a recipe for failure in sales. Sales pros should be mentally (and physically) prepared to approach their prospects with the attitude that they will choose their solution when they decide. Then, they must properly advance the opportunity through the sales cycle, always confirming their progress with the prospect at each step. For example, they should ask the prospect if they have all the information they need to purchase our solution. If not, what other information can I provide?
Tiger Woods was so intimidating on the golf course that other golfers worried about what Tiger was doing, and they made costly mistakes. This was especially the case at the end of a tournament when other golfers challenged Tiger for the lead. Michael Jordan was the same on a basketball court. He had such fantastic confidence and competitive drive that others made mistakes, and Jordan and the Bulls usually took advantage.
Retired professional basketball player and coach Larry Bird said it best:
“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”2
In summary, sales pros must possess confidence and a positive attitude to succeed. I have added empathy for the prospect, superior product knowledge, mastery of the sales cycle, high character and integrity, self-motivation, and tenacity, among the other 25 attributes I list in “Above Quota Performance.”3
2 https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/larry_bird_153144?src=t_winner
3 Steven Weinberg. Above Quota Performance (Estes Park, CO: Armin Lear Press, 2022) pp. 290-301.