--- title: The Ghosts of Quarters Past | The Sales Blog description: Today’s results aren’t the result of work that was done today, except for the short term work you focused on today. Today’s results are the result of work you did or didn’t do last quarter, the quarter before that, and maybe even a few of the quarters before those two quarters. The ghosts that are […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_69804358.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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Today’s results are the result of work you did or didn’t do last quarter, the quarter before that, and maybe even a few of the quarters before those two quarters. The ghosts that are haunting your sales results will continue to haunt you for a long time, if you don’t do something to exorcise them. #### Your Apparitions The ghosts of quarters past are made up of all of the activities that you should have taken but didn’t. One ghost is made up of all of [the prospecting work ](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/03/your-ethical-obligation-to-cold-call/)you should have done, but didn’t because you were simply[ too busy with your inbox](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/06/prospecting-rule-one/). The calls you should have made turned into opportunities to others, but they are dead to you. One ghost is made up of the dream clients that [don’t know you](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/10/they-don%e2%80%99t-know-you/) because you have done nothing to nurture those relationships over time. They are but a shadow. One ghost is made of the opportunities that were opened. But they died when you failed to [follow up and follow through](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/12/keeping-commitments-why-follow-up-and-follow-through-make-or-break-opportunities/). One ghost is made up of clients that were[ lost because you let a problem age longer](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/03/problems-don%e2%80%99t-age-well-don%e2%80%99t-let-them/) than it should have, and the relationship has gone on to the hereafter. Of course, the ghosts remain to haunt and taunt you. Would have. Could have. Should have. Didn’t. #### Exorcising Your Ghosts There is no magic spell that will exorcise your ghosts. It doesn’t work that way. Instead, you have do battle with them quarter after quarter, year after year, until you have done the necessary work that ends their existence. If your pipeline isn’t what you need it to be, you banish the ghost by prospecting and opening and building opportunities that will make future quarters brighter. The ghosts of lost dream client opportunities will always haunt you until you nurture those relationships long enough that you are known and trusted as a value creator. You exorcise the ghosts of opened and unrealized opportunities by doing the follow up and the follow through that creates value for them at their stage of their buying cycle and moves the opportunity through your sales process. You can only exorcise the ghosts of clients who were lost due to their long suffering through problems you didn’t address by winning new clients and never letting their problems age. You can and must do what is necessary to prevent future losses. Your[ effort and your results ](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/07/effort-doesn%e2%80%99t-line-up-neatly-with-results/)don’t line up neatly. But they do line up accordingly. #### Questions How much of this quarter’s result was put in motion some time ago? How much impact can you have over the short term if you haven’t laid the requisite groundwork? Why does your effort not line up neatly with your results? What do you have to do today to make your future results better? How does your short term goals for the day equate to success in the future? ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2011](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2011) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on July 26, 2011 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-06-16T3:23:40 PM", "datePublished" : "2011-07-26 22:42:27", "description" : "Today’s results aren’t the result of work that was done today, except for the short term work you focused on today. Today’s results are the result of work you did or didn’t do last quarter, the quarter before that, and maybe even a few of the quarters before those two quarters. 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