A little more than nine years ago, I was sitting across the table from a quiet, unassuming young franchise broker named Meri who was helping me identify a business to buy. We had been at it for about 6 months and looked at more than a half dozen opportunities.
Before I could start the conversation, Meri set down her pen, looked across the table and told me that it no longer made sense for us to meet. Startled, I ask why. I’ll never forget what Meri said next. She looked me right in the eyes and told me that I wasn’t committed to buying a business and until I made that commitment, it was a waste of everyone’s time to keep looking.
My feelings were extremely hurt as I walked out the office that day.
But guess what happened? Two months later, I took our savings (and an additional loan), quit my job and started a company from scratch. I was scared to death, but completely committed to succeed. Failure was not an option.
Unfortunately, many people have the same attitude that I did before Meri called me out. If you’re struggling to hit your sales targets, or neglecting to hold employees accountable, you might be one of these people.
You probably think it’s because the market’s tough or everyone is lazy.
But, guess what happens when you’re fully committed? You figure out how to convince your prospects to buy and attract the best employees.
It’s tempting to look for new tactics when your current efforts aren’t getting you the results you want. I see it all the time. For example, a sales manager once asked me to recommend a new strategy to a team of reps who weren’t making their prospecting calls. I asked if he thought it was a good idea to introduce something new to a group that wasn’t committed enough to do the basics.
Before you look for a quick fix in a magazine, online seminar or weekend workshop, first ask yourself if you are truly committed or just wasting your time.
As with most things in life, the solution is simple. All you need to do is execute.