One of the most often given pieces of advice is to be passionate about what you do. However, it seems that passion and enthusiasm can sometimes work against you, especially if they come in too high amounts.

After all it’s common knowledge that too much of a good thing may not be such a good thing.

Check out: Don’t Get Too Excited: 4 Reasons Why Passion is the Enemy of Sales Success

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Glossary

• zeal – fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor
• blink – to open and close the eye, especially involuntarily
• bold – not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger
• prospective – potential, likely, or expected
• eager – keen or ardent in desire or feeling; impatiently longing
• humble – not proud or arrogant; modest

Think about it

Based on the article answer the questions below. 

• Is being enthusiastic generally seen as a vice?
• What is the best way to make a successful sale? Why?
• What reaction may be triggered if a sales person wants to close it too early?
• Is the ability to sell everything to everyone a characteristic of a good sales person? Why? Why not?
• What may happen if you overpromise to a client and how to avoid doing that?

Practice makes perfect

In the sentences below replace the phrases in bold with the expressions from the original text

• Naturally, many young entrepreneurs are driven by substantial amounts of passion and enthusiasm. 
• While zeal will do a great job for you in numerous business arenas, too much enthusiasm can, among other things, sabotage a sales meeting in an instant.
• Another typical error on the first conversation with a prospect is to assume that the customer is ready to buy from you.
• Regardless of how great your product might be, no product is perfect.
• If you promise a client a lot and don’t keep your promise, they will lose trust in you, and you might never sell to that client again.

Fill in the blank spaces with the correct words. Check your answers with the original text.

One of ___ biggest sales mistakes that young entrepreneurs make is asking ___ the sale too soon. I know ____ you’re thinking: “Why ___ ask for the sale? If you don’t ask, the answer is always ‘no,’ right?” Yes, it’s true that every entrepreneur needs to be bold enough and confident ___ to “make the ask.” But the best way to ___ a successful sale is to treat it ___ a process.

Form the correct words.

• excite (verb) – __________ (noun)
• confidence (noun) – __________ (adjective)
• defend (verb) – __________ (adjective)
• assumption (noun) – __________ (verb)
• credible (adjective) – __________ (noun)
• feature (verb) – _________ (noun)

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