Everything is your fault.
Whether you’re a manager, a Springfield, MO business owner, or a member of the sales team – It Is YOUR Fault.
While that statement may or may not be true, imagine the possibilities of success if you would simply shift your mindset and take full ownership of the outcome. If you can get to a place where you know and believe that you are the one person solely responsible for your success or failure, and embrace that responsibility fully, the roadblocks between you and your goals become so minimal that almost anything is achievable.
If you’re in sales and not hitting your revenue goals, it’s typically because:
- Management sets my quota’s too high
- Customers are different in my market
- The industry is changing
- I’ve been set-up for failure
- The training sucks
- I was misled…. and the list goes on.
Their sea of excuses is vast, and the blame-game is easy. Often, we can come up with very valid excuses, but at the end of the day, they are still just that…. Excuses.
Instead, be honest with yourself. It’s my fault that I haven’t hit quota:
- I made 50 calls when I could have made 75 if I didn’t take that extended lunch Wednesday
- I spent so much time closing low hanging fruit, that my largest prospects have moved on
Another example, and common management statement: “Good help in Springfield is too hard to find”. Is good help really that hard to find? The more likely possibility is that you have not built a strong enough case for someone to want to leave their place of seniority, pay, and experience.
Your current Springfield team is the greatest advocate or hindrances to potential applicants. It’s your fault. Have you provided a work environment that is so worth talking about by your employees that their friends and circles of influence are chomping at the bit for an opportunity within your organization? Or is the high-stress, low wage, micro-management system something that your team vents openly about to the most qualified Springfield, MO candidates on the street?
By accepting responsibility for your personal success or failure, with an “It’s my fault mentality”, you allow yourself the power to identify the problem, develop a solution, and execute until you get the results you desire. It is your fault, so address it head-on… and win.
– Written by Stephanie F Dickinson