Improving Habitually

What was successful about last year that I can bring into the new year?? This is an important question when reviewing your accomplishments and lessons learned as you plan for 2024.? We are often too hard on ourselves and easily get caught up with what went wrong.? When reflecting, it is critical to highlight how you engineered success and to determine what you learned from your errors.? When reflecting, it is critical to focus on the factors that you could control in both scenarios.? Asking yourself, how can you replicate success and avoid failures through the control of these factors?? It is easy to forget that being positive is a choice, and focusing on what you can control reinforces a positive frame of mind, which is critical for creative thinking.

?

As a start to the new year, I wrote down some routines and habits that made a difference for me that I want to share with my network, especially for younger sales professionals within my network, and, in turn I hope they will share their keys to success with me.

?

1. Perspective - My focus has rarely been on winning, but on the importance of the next step. In my pursuit of success, I draw inspiration from the wisdom of leaders like Nick Saban and Bill Belichick.? Both renowned for their strategic brilliance, they both share similar philosophies: Saban's "Follow the Process" and Belichick's, "Do you Job".? Together, they underscore the dangers of fixating on the scoreboard, cautioning that it can lead to misguided decisions. Guided by their philosophies, I navigate my journey as a sales professional by understanding that victory is achieved through mastering the pivotal steps along the way.?
2. Calendar - There aren't 52 weeks in a year - this was taught to me when I entered sales.? Make sure you have a realistic view of what weeks you can actually sell, not all weeks carry the same value.? While other weeks can be more productive…map these out, and plan your sales cycles to ensure you don't lose momentum.? In the slower weeks, plan for training, admin, or working on your personal brand.? By creating a calendar, you are also identifying useful external constraints that can help build momentum in your sales cycle.
3. Habits - One of my most effective habits is making my bed.? Set your morning routine around accomplishing simple tasks.? Establishing a sense of accomplishment in the morning also helps create a proactive and positive mindset and reinforces a habit of achievement.? We are creatures of habit and making this work for you at the micro-level will have exponential impact on your productivity.? "Atomic Habits", by James Clear is a great book for examining and improving your habits.
4. Routines - Create routines before meetings - I have a moment of reflection and focus, whether it is before a marathon of meetings or a single afternoon.? Envision where you want to go and what it is you want to achieve, put this in the context of words you want to hear from your customer or prospect, and define the next steps you want to take that are part of a defined plan to success.? However, plans and goals are very different, which is why improvisation can be a salesperson's greatest strength in reaching your goals even if the plan goes sideways.? Daniel Pink's, "To Sell is Human" explores this great skill.?????
5. Learning - Maintain a lessons learned list. Review this list prior to meetings, writing business cases, completing proposals, or drafting your QBR. There is nothing more demotivating and frustrating than repeating mistakes. This list also serves as a way to track improvement, how you were able to resolve issues, and effectively avoid repeating mistakes.? It will serve as a guide for your own personal development. When making a messons-learned, make sure you identify what you can control.
6. Define customers and prospects at the end of the year and classify them in terms of performance, potential, and next activity or action in the new year.? With prospects, it is also important to understand how much time have you put in and how much more time are you willing to put in.? Nothing is more valuable than your time and you can never get it back.? Competitiveness is as important of a success factor as knowing when to walk away.