Ditch These 3 Things, And Rise Above The Empty Suits In 2021

"People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives."

J.Michael Straczynski

The coming of a new year... a renewed commitment to an exercise plan, another new diet, another new sales compensation plan and another year full of promises.

I firmly believe the New Year is also a time to break bad habits.

Habits... they're simply behaviors that impact the decisions we make about how to spend our time, our sales activities and resources.

Over time, you accumulate experiences and knowledge which influences your outlook along with your ability to effectively manage what you do on a daily basis.

From the most tenured of salespeople to the less experienced, recognizing what's a good versus bad habit, this is the first mission critical step in understanding why you do certain things while avoiding others (like prospecting).

Poor performance is due to bad habits

I wholeheartedly believe that deeply rooted within bad sales habits, is a lack of personal accountability.

What constitutes bad sales habits?

At what point do these habits begin sabotaging productivity, performance and more importantly, pipeline?

ARE YOU PERSONALLY ACCOUNTABLE?

Weak salespeople point fingers and deflect, while sales professionals find out what they did wrong and fix it.

Honesty with yourself. This is the first step in personal accountability.

How many in sales are willing to answer for their outcomes which result from their choices, behaviors, actions and decisions?

Weak salespeople blame their situations on circumstances and other people.

Sales professionals build a strong sense of self, based upon personal accountability and these three things:

• They don't blame others
• They are constantly look in the mirror
• They always work on their process

"Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses."

George Washington Carver

RISE ABOVE THE EMPTY SUITS

I urge all those in sales to become serious about your career. Put in the time and do the work necessary to become a true sales professional.

What stunts sales growth?

What prevents sales reps from becoming sales professionals?

Ditch these horrible habits in 2021...

EXCUSES

Sales professionals slam the door on excuses.

I believe committing to excellence is the key to unlocking your success in 2021.

I'm massively concerned with the current state of many within sales.

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. 

So many in sales are using excuses to rationalize their actions regarding their circumstances, their actions toward other people, and the events or stories that prevent them from hitting their numbers.

I believe excuses are pure crap and often the primary reasons why salespeople are unable to accomplish what they need in order to succeed.

In order to smash your sales targets at the end of 2021, you must take personal responsibility.

You must hold yourself accountable to YOU!

It’s no one else’s responsibility to help you get to where you need to be; it’s yours and yours alone. This means that if you have a crappy month and fail to meet your plan, it’s not your manager’s fault, your customers’ fault, nor your prospects’ fault—it’s your fault!

You have to suck it up, self-reflect, buckle down, and get to work. Look at yourself in the mirror and commit to getting better. 

Stop making freaking excuses!

Stop excusing your failures or your procrastination and start taking the steps necessary to become a sales professional

FEAR

The success you have in 2021 depends greatly on your sales skills. Everything from driving profitability, to bringing in new business, and client retention relies on your ability to sell. 

What is concerning is the amount of salespeople who lack confidence with their sales abilities and skillset. Whose fault is that? I say lack of practice, preparation and planning has something to do with your low skill set.

With conviction and based on observation, it's no surprise that many tenured salespeople are nervous, afraid, and hesitant to do anything relevant to improving their sales skill set. Why? Fear of being exposed! Yes, I said it!

Admitting one's weakness is no easy step, but it is a step in the right direction.

Become vulnerable and develop the courage to help overcome your fears. Vulnerability will set you free.

Fear of being exposed will keep you in a state of complacency

I believe all of you have strengths. Becoming vulnerable with yourself won’t hurt you. It may put in a dent in your pride, but it is well worth it. I promise you.

Set aside the fear, become a bit vulnerable...

• Ask for help
• Admit to yourself... you don't know everything
• Embrace the chaos and the stories in your mind

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

Theodore Roosevelt

EGO

Sales professionals check their ego at the door.

Social Media, the movies and a vast majority of the public portray salespeople as egomaniacs with slick-backed hair and a “do whatever it takes to close the sale” mentality.

Perception is reality and it sure does remind us of Glengarry Glen Ross scenes, doesn't it?

While there’s always some truth to stereotypes, the biggest exceptions to the rule lie within us.

A huge ego is a sales growth buzzkill

Ego, it certainly plays a part in one's success but it can also hinder one from significant sales growth.

In our highly connected, digitally driven and socially empowered business world; highly assertive, a know-it-all mentality combined with a super-charged ego will be the kiss of sales death.

The real-deal sales professionals, you know... the true superstars - sell from the heart, are open-minded, curious, collaborative, vulnerable, open to learning and aim for genuine partnerships with their clients.

These professionals have humility and operate without any deception whatsoever. This is a direct conflict to the behavior of ego-driven salespeople.

Being an ego-maniac and self-serving, ruins relationships, cuts you off from authentic experiences and chips away at your clients' happiness.

“More the knowledge, lesser the ego. Lesser the knowledge, more the ego.”

Albert Einstein

YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF

What would happen if you got rid of the excuses, overcame your fears and squashed your ego? Would this change your sales results? Would this help you in prospecting for new business sales opportunities or strengthen your client relationships?

Will excuses, fear and ego prevent you from being the best version of YOU?

Let's face it... we have all laid down the excuse egg. We all have beat ourselves up over excuses.

Excuses stunt our personal and professional growth.

Whining, moaning and crying in sales can be prevented. It starts with giving a rip about yourself and your career. Why is this important? You owe it your employer and more importantly your family.

"There's no crying in baseball and crying in sales can be prevented"

The legendary Carlos Santana nails it,

"Most people don't have that willingness to break bad habits. They have a lot of excuses and they talk like victims."

You can be a victim 2021 or you can choose to take action.