Have you ever been in a situation or position where you felt like literally your back was up against the wall and you had no idea how you were going to move forward? That, as you tried to move forward, it was like your feet were weighed down in concrete or quicksand? When that happened, what did you do? Did you give up, quit, or look for an easier way? Or did you re-double your efforts, re-focus and force yourself to move forward, irrespective of how difficult it was? If you have been in sales or sales leadership for a while, you have probably experienced this already. And if you haven’t already experienced it, then either you have a magic wand or your time hasn’t happened yet!
Rest assured, in sales and in sales leadership, you will at some stage find yourself with your back against the wall, not making target and possibly wondering where the next sale is going to come from. And you know what? Every great sales person, every great sales leader and business leader knows that success is not easy – but success will come to those who stay in the game long enough, who understand that anything worth achieving is worth fighting for.
So if you find yourself with your back to the wall right now, consider these points and keep fighting :
- Setbacks and failure is only temporary : if you are currently having a tough time of it, and not seeing the rewards coming through, understand that is it only temporary. The only way it becomes permanent is if you quit! If you find yourself in the valley where nothing is happening, make sure you don’t camp there – keep moving until you are out of the valley. Pretty soon, the tide will turn.
- Find successful models to emulate : you may not be achieving the results you want right now, but I guarantee that there is someone within your area of influence who is achieving. Seek them out, find out what they are doing to achieve their results, as well as delve into their mindset. Then model that – pretty soon, you will see the results turn your way. And be prepared to deal with the naysayers, the well meaning people who believe it would be in your best interests to quit or do something else. Whilst they may mean well, if they have not achieved what you are wanting to achieve, then they have no credibility or authority to provide you with advice. Remember, success leaves clues, and so does mediocrity – find successful models, and emulate them.
- Assess your attitude : As covered in previous articles, your attitude determines your altitude, so even though you may not be seeing the tangible results right now, maintaining a strong, enthusiastic and optimistic attitude will certainly help fast track the results you are looking for. Part of this is to act as if you are currently achieving the results you want. As long as you keep up the work, the results will happen.
- Get up and get going : As the great Les Brown says, ‘If you get knocked down, try and land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up’. And if you can get up, you can get going. Keep the activity up, follow your system and process, put one foot in front of the other and move forward.
- Remember why you are doing this : why are you in sales or sales leadership? What is your purpose? Is it worth fighting for? Often it is during times when your back is against the wall that your purpose and your ‘why’ is tested. How badly do you want it? Are you prepared to fight for it? If your ‘why’ is big enough, you will be amazed at how many extra gears you have to propel yourself forward.
You know the road to achievement is never a straight one – it is inevitable that you will suffer setbacks, obstacles and at some stage, your back will be up against the wall. When this happens, know there are only 2 options available to you ; 1) quit, or 2) move forward. Choose to move forward and apply the above 5 principles, and remember this extremely powerful quote from Theodore Roosevelt :
‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat’
To your continued sales & sales leadership success.
Darren
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post – I greatly appreciate it, and welcome comments and feedback. Please feel free to comment below, to follow me on LinkedIn, or to connect via Twitter, or Facebook.
Darren is a Sales Leadership and Sales Performance Coach, Facilitator & Speaker. He is an experienced and committed coach with a background of sales leadership success in large organisations. He applies a genuine focus to coaching and developing high performing sales leaders who are looking to unleash the potential of themselves and their teams.
