I was talking with a friend of mine about things that, when they happened were considered mistakes or failures.
My personal favorite is that Dr. Spencer Silver, a 3M scientist, was working to “develop bigger, stronger, tougher adhesives,” when he created the now-famous Post-it® Notes.
What if we start to change the paradigm from mistake to my take?
- I didn’t find a stronger adhesive,
my take ended up being a removable one.
For inside sales it might be:
- I didn’t have any good conversations,
my take is I left 40 awesome voicemails that are memorable.
- I didn’t win the deal,
my take is I need to get in front of the team of decision-makers
earlier in the sales process.
It’s funny as I’m re-reading the mistake statements, they all begin with “I didn’t”. Perhaps it is a rephrasing exercise – DROPPING the “I didn’t” phrase altogether!
- I found a removable adhesive.
- I left 40 awesome voicemails that are memorable.
- I need to get in front of the team of decision-makers earlier in the sales process.
Figuring Out My Take
When things don’t go the way we’ve planned, the key is to figure out:
- What’s the lesson I want to pull out of this experience?
- Do I want to make sure I never do ____________ again?
- Are there other ways / paths / techniques I could use to get to my desired outcome?
Lesson’s Learned: even as I write this it sounds cliché. Learn the lesson then it’s not a mistake blah, blah blah.
The lessons we learn when we don’t get our way in sales (notice I didn’t say when things don’t go our way), are important to track. Dissecting what works and what doesn’t is an important piece of getting into a success groove.
So the lesson you need to learn (and it might take a bit of time) = Is it a one-time event or a sales truth?
Never Again: Let’s face it – until you answer the question “is it a one-time event or a sales truth” how do you know that you never want it to happen again?
As we move into My Take from Mistake; think about how important avoidance is to you personally.
Wait: be specific… avoidance of the specific THING that happened (avoidance as a general trait could be an entirely different newsletter).
One bad experience, the one time a question falls flat, one deal lost -> none of these things particularly scream NEVER DO _________ AGAIN.
Without a bit of reflection, don’t allow your emotions to dictate your course of action… for the rest of your career. Be sure to impartially answer; Do I want to make sure I never do ____________ again?
Different Path: another important debrief idea is to investigate other ways to get to your desired result.
If you ask 5 people for directions from where you are right now, to New York City, you might hear 7 or more different answers. Yes, more paths than people!
The same is true for sales outcomes. You may get there multiple ways yourself – then add in how other people can achieve the goal you’re going for – add a dash of research and expert advice.
*POOF* Lots of different options, many paths to the same summit.
Giving you my take,
Lynn
ps: check out Root Shock’s 2018 release “Many Paths” for a reggae version of different paths!