Optimism in Sales Is Great, But It Can Kill Your Quotas

Don’t take this the wrong way – optimism is a vital trait to carry with you in the sales world. However, it’s important not to let it cloud your judgement.

Whenever you think you’ve got a deal locked down and ready to close, remember to stay as realistic and objective as possible. Nothing hurts worse than being blindsided by a deal you had assumed was a sure thing. This can affect your mood going into future sales calls, causing you to lose even more leads. If your mood slowly worsens after every lead you lose, then it will create this snowball effect that will make it challenging for you to refocus your efforts.

How does optimism in sales interfere with forecasting?

Whenever you’re creating a report on whether something is going to close or not, don’t take feel-good moments into consideration. Like I mentioned before, stay as realistic and objective as possible. This will help you see the bigger picture and can help you avoid any obstacles you may not have seen prior. Ask yourself questions, such as:

• Do the prospect and I see eye-to-eye on everything discussed so far?
• Is there anything I need clarification on from the prospect?
• Which way are discussions currently trending with the prospect, toward an agreement or farther from each other’s goals?
• What’s missing that could convince the prospect to move forward with the sale?

Again, it’s vital to have a positive attitude and be optimistic while you conduct yourself from day-to-day in the sales world. However, being overly optimistic about prospects and potential deals can hurt and frustrate you team long term.