Did
Manchester City win the English Premier League because they made the least excuses?
As
the football season progressed I definitely detected less regular excuses from
the manager of Manchester City than I heard from the managers of the other
major contenders.
“The
referee cost us the match” “We can’t play our football if they won’t let us”
“we’ve had too many injuries” “The fixture list is unfair”. That's what the
others said.
But
whilst others made excuses, Manchester City took the initiative.
What
excuses are you making?
Excuses can be very easy to find when it comes to explaining away disappointing sales performance - and especially when we allow ourselves to go and search for them. In 30 years in selling I’ve heard them all...
Excuses can be very easy to find when it comes to explaining away disappointing sales performance - and especially when we allow ourselves to go and search for them. In 30 years in selling I’ve heard them all...
“The economy is against us”
“The competition is much cheaper”
“Our stuff just doesn’t appeal to old/young people, or men/women, or
rich/poor people”
“Their budgets are frozen for three months”
“He’s leaving, I’ll have to wait for the new person to settle in”
“The leads we are being given are rubbish”
“Nothing but timewasters today”
And
so on...
The problem is...
The problem is...
if
you focus on searching for reasons and excuses for under-par results, sure
enough you'll end up with a world class list of reasons why you don't have to
reach your sales targets!
You’re
in what I call ‘The Valley of Reasons and Excuses’.
Being
in ‘The Valley’ is when you're letting things happen to you and then
using these circumstances as an excuse for a lack of action and lack of
results. You're being affected by stuff, letting it influence your thinking and
stifling any actions you could take.
Take 100% responsibility for your sales results
Let's be clear here - you are not responsible for the recession. You are not responsible for your customers being made redundant, or for their spending budgets being frozen. You are not in charge of every challenge that gets thrown at you as you set about trying to reach your sales targets.
But...you ARE ALWAYS responsible for how you respond! This is Sales psychology 101!
We can all find an excuse to shift the blame and place it on something or someone else when it comes to sales - but finding that reason doesn't bring you any closer to your sales target. In fact it hinders you.
SO STOP LISTENING TO YOUR EXCUSES
Take 100% responsibility for your sales results
Let's be clear here - you are not responsible for the recession. You are not responsible for your customers being made redundant, or for their spending budgets being frozen. You are not in charge of every challenge that gets thrown at you as you set about trying to reach your sales targets.
But...you ARE ALWAYS responsible for how you respond! This is Sales psychology 101!
We can all find an excuse to shift the blame and place it on something or someone else when it comes to sales - but finding that reason doesn't bring you any closer to your sales target. In fact it hinders you.
SO STOP LISTENING TO YOUR EXCUSES
Before
you start believing them! Instead, just keep asking yourself one magical
question...
"OK, so if all that is true...what action can I take to get me
closer to where I want to be?"
Everyone
goes into The Valley at some stage, but the most successful people get out of
The Valley the quickest and restore 'normal service'.
Instead of languishing in The Valley, take control of your thinking - and your actions. Instead of thinking about reasons for a lack of performance, think about what options you have. It is this subtle change in thinking that can change your whole outlook - and results.
Instead of languishing in The Valley, take control of your thinking - and your actions. Instead of thinking about reasons for a lack of performance, think about what options you have. It is this subtle change in thinking that can change your whole outlook - and results.
When
you feel yourself going into The Valley - all you need to do is ask yourself
that one question... I repeat it here
"OK, so if all that is
true...what action can I take to get me closer to where I want to be?"
And
repeat that question to yourself every time you spot yourself entering The
Valley of Reasons and Excuses. Instead of scouring for excuses, your brain will
search for solutions.
Take back the responsibility for your sales results.
It’s all about the psychology of selling
Until next time.
Take back the responsibility for your sales results.
It’s all about the psychology of selling
Until next time.
Leigh
020 7903 5426
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