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March 31, 2015 The Value of Pessimism in Sales Although the vast majority of salespeople describe themselves as optimists, a survey shows that nearly two-thirds of high-performing sales professionals exhibit pessimistic personality tendencies, Steve W. Martin of the University of Southern California writes on HBR.org. Inward pessimism may drive these high performers to question the viability of the deal and the buyer's credibility, pushing them to ask tougher qualifying questions and seek meetings with senior-level decision makers who ultimately decide which vendor will be selected, Martin says. SOURCE: What Separates the Strongest Salespeople from the Weakest

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