100 Ways to Succeed in Sales: #10: Know You Can Only Control Your Own Actions

No Control

In sales, we spend a lot of time working on getting other people to do something. We want them to commit to taking the next step. We want them to speak with us about the biggest issues facing their business in hopes that we can help them. We want them to give us information that will help us create a solution for them and demonstrate an ROI. We want them to buy from us and not somebody else.

Control

We spend a lot of time agonizing over how to get people to do something that we want them to do. We want to change them. Ultimately, we have no control over other people, prospects and customers included. The only way we can really get other people to act differently is by acting differently ourselves.

That prospect won’t return your phone call? Then you need to act differently.

That great pipeline prospect hasn’t committed to the presentation? Then you need to act differently.

Contract tied up in legal? Then you need to act differently.

If you aren’t getting what you want, it is because of the way you are acting.

Act Differently

Your frustration isn’t the result of the prospect or customer not doing what you want them to. Your frustration is the result of you not being resourceful enough and creative enough to alter your actions. It is what you are doing that isn’t getting the impact that you want. Fortunately, your actions are the one thing that you do control. Below, a few questions to make you more resourceful and creative.

Questions

1. What else could you try to get the result you want?
2. If that doesn’t work, what else could you try to get the result that you want?
3. If that doesn’t work, what else could you try to get the result that you want?

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Tagged as: Change Management, Influence, Managing Outcomes, Personal Development