Optimism yields great personal feelings, but it can also lead you into trouble. If you are a naturally optimistic person, then you may find yourself building bridges where there is no support in sales. You first want to make sure that you have a foundation to be optimistic about, before you start to make any plans on where a certain sales lead may take you. If you get ahead of yourself, you may end up spending a lot of time on something that will crumble once you do attempt to stand on it.
A Half Empty Way of Looking at Things
Pessimism, on the other hand, often leads to feelings of being guarded. Pessimism is the defensive posture, and in sales that can mean holding yourself back from a potential sale that could have had some pretty high yields. If you want to make sure that your pessimism is not getting in the way, then analyze what it is that you are truly guarding yourself against.
The Balance Between the Two, or the “Half Water Half Air” Approach
It would be somewhat immature to assume that optimism is the only way to approach a situation, and likewise it would be entirely too cynical to assume that a pessimist way of viewing the world is going to be the “realistic” response to a hard, unforgiving environment. In sales, you need the “half water/half air” approach; acknowledging that there are risks, and then acknowledging that there are gains is going to be key in forming a more cohesive and fundamentally sound base of support for your sales game. Look at where the potential downsides are, and then look at the rewards, and measure them accordingly. Do not be discouraged by an abundance of air in your glass, either; you may be missing the golden opportunity that sits right below the surface. Sometimes, sweet rewards sit below high risk. Use your best judgment to decide how and if you should proceed with a sale that reflects this.
