In Sales Professionals Chase Excellence, Not Shiny Objects; the overall objective was simple… just get to work and stop chasing shiny objects.
What would happen if you got rid of the excuses, overcame your fears and squashed your ego? How would this change your sales results? How would this help you in prospecting for new business or enhancing your client relationships?
The legendary Bob Proctor said it best…“No one wins the blame game.”
Blame is shifting the reason for something going wrong, to someone else.
I’m just going to keep it simple, sales professionals take responsibility and place the blame on themselves when things fail to go as planned. Sales reps deflect, shifting the blame to others.
Sales reps love ‘passing the buck’ so that they don’t feel responsible for something that has gone wrong.
The blame game can be very toxic, while accountability can be very empowering. The choice is yours,
Just Do It!
I believe committing to excellence has taken a back seat to extreme finger pointing. I believe that committing to excellence is the key to unlocking success today.
“However, I am concerned with the current state of the sales profession. What I’m seeing develop is a lack of commitment to excellence. A culture of excuses and finger-pointing has replaced hard work, grit, and determination. Sales are not easy. Sales are not for everyone, nor for the weak at heart. It requires discipline, determination, and a game plan. It takes a lot out of you, and you must be willing to pay the price, but the rewards are worth it.” – Selling From the Heart
Too many of you love playing the deferral game. You love placing the blame elsewhere. A true sales professional takes ownership of everything they do. Sales professionals don’t place blame, deflect, or pass problems on to someone else.
A Higher Standard
The success you have in sales is a culmination of the decisions you make. Each day you’re given opportunities to make choices for yourself, they can be productive or a complete waste of your time.
A sales professional doesn’t take the easy way out nor cut corners. They know they’re different than the majority of sales reps who moan, grown and finger point.
A sales professional doesn’t succumb to the slacker mentality. They surround themselves with other professionals who in turn hold each other accountable. They understand finger pointing sales reps are toxic and bad influences that will throw them off course on their professional journey.
No Excuses
Excuses, we’ve all made them. However; when you fail to hit your sales targets do you take full responsibility or play the deflect game by blaming others?
If you focus on excuse making for not hitting your sales plan, then sure enough you’ll end up with a world class list of reasons but then what will you do about it?
Sales professionals take full responsibility for the sales results! You can all find excuses in the world to shift the blame or deflect it on to someone else but does this bring you any closer to hitting your sales targets? I think not.
The reason why many in sales will fail to become a sales professional is because they’re too attached to what they’ve been. They live in their past, struggling to build their future.
To achieve success we need to understand it doesn’t happen overnight. With consistency and discipline you must diligently do your job. It doesn’t happen all of a sudden.
The great Jeffrey Gitomer so eloquently states, “No excuses, it’s yours, the sucking salesperson’s responsibility! Plan, prepare, practice then play and you might win. If you don’t, you’ll lose for sure.”
Sales success, it’s not a lottery that you win overnight; It’s not magic created in seconds. Its sheer effort, effectiveness, consistency, productivity and knowledge.
Develop a Practice Mindset
A basketball game isn’t won on the court. The game is won in the days, weeks, months and off-season work leading up to the 48 minutes of actual playing time.
The game is won with preparation. The team watches film, memorizes plays, hits the gym and eats properly. Preparation and practice are the keys!
Just ask the all-time greats. Kobe Bryant saw Los Angeles at 4 a.m. Michael Jordan was the first person on the court and the last one off. Magic Johnson was the true definition of a
So, why do sales reps struggle so much with practice?
It’s Up to You
You can choose to point fingers, chase shiny objects and play the deflect game or you can hold yourself accountable. The choice is yours.
A true sales professional doesn’t blame others. They ask, listen, and learn without laying blame (that’s the hard part).
According to a Harvard Business Review article written by Nathanael J. Fast, “A deep set of research shows that people who blame others for their mistakes lose status, learn less, and perform worse relative to those who own up to their mistakes.”
When it’s all said and done, it’s easy to justify why you did or didn’t meet your daily, monthly, or yearly targets. I get it, many in sales face B.S. that’s out of their control, but a strong sales professional will fight hard and will not point fingers.
Pointing fingers is a sign of weakness. Don’t point fingers, don’t chase shiny objects and more importantly, don’t be an empty suit.
