Whoever came up with the adage "attitude is everything" might have worked in sales. Your attitude has a major impact on whether a deal closes — and thankfully, attitude is something in the process that you have total control over. As Mareo McCracken writes in a recent Inc. article, "…you cannot control things outside your circle of influence, therefore it is so important to do a great job controlling the few items that are in your circle… What you can control is your attitude, your mindset, and the actions that come from your thought processes."

He goes on to give examples of common "toxic" behaviors that can derail success. Below are two:

Rigid sales process

You will be much easier to work with if you are flexible and adaptable. And, clients want easy. Don't be so strict with your process that you alienate prospects. "While having a sales process is important, following the process at the expense of serving the customer is always worn," McCracken explains. "The customer wants to know, feel, and trust that working with you will be easy."

Field of dreams mentality

You can't expect prospects to just come to you. It's up to you to show the value of what you're selling. Even if you have the best product in the world, your prospects need to learn why it is best for them. As McCracken points out, "Don't talk features, benefits, or value without applying everything to an almost real situation that they can connect with. Once they connect with the situation that is real to them, then the value will be obvious." So even if you "build it," prospects might not necessarily come until you've done your part (actually selling).

These two examples illustrate the importance of attitude when selling. If you are having difficulty closing, you may be jeopardizing your own success. Thanks to McCracken's article, you can check your own attitude against the ones he shared and adjust per his suggestions!