Back in 2011, I tossed out a tweet that still shows up in client conversations today:
Action & Expertise combine to create Success… be sure you’re taking one, building the second, and defining the third for yourself.
Let’s break that down, because most people are missing at least one.
Action: Stop Talking About It. Start Doing It
I cringe every time I hear: “Work smarter, not harder.”
…because it’s usually said by someone who isn’t doing either.
That phrase was meant for people already putting in the effort.
Now? It’s become an excuse.
I was in a training once and heard a rep say it… right after wandering the office, grabbing coffee, and chatting for 20 minutes. Just no.
What that rep needed wasn’t a smarter strategy.
They needed to sit down and dial the phone.
To (loosely) quote David Sandler: “Successful salespeople do the things unsuccessful salespeople fail to do.”
And in inside sales?
That starts with one very basic thing:
👉 Pick up the phone.
Because without that…
- No conversations.
- No discovery.
- No opportunities.
- No deals.
You can’t “optimize” your way out of inaction.
And when you do get it right?
That’s when you earn the right to… S-C-O-R-E. (Yes, cue the horns 🎺)
Expertise: Doing the Right Things, Not More Things
Action without direction is just noise.
Expertise is what makes your action effective.
Malcolm Gladwell talks about 10,000 hours to mastery.
I don’t disagree—but I’ll add this:
👉 It has to be the *right* 10,000 hours.
As David Dolbear of White Crane Martial Arts said: “Practice makes permanent.”
Not perfect.
Permanent.
So if you’re practicing the wrong things?
You’re just getting really good at being ineffective.
40 hours/week × 50 weeks = 2,000 hours
Minus time you’re not actually focused… ≈ 1,500
Half of that truly intentional? ≈ 750 hours/year
That’s 13 years to mastery.
Unless…
You do something different.
Add just 24 minutes a day of focused improvement—
Listening, learning, refining…
And suddenly you’re accelerating.
Not dramatically.
But consistently.
And in this business? That’s what wins.
Success: Define It Before You Chase It
Here’s where most people get it wrong.
They define success by… other people.
- Top 10.
- President’s Club.
- Bigger paycheck.
When I push reps and leaders further, I hear things like:
- Freedom
- Financial security
- Comfort for my family
- Peace of mind
So here’s the real question:
👉 What does success actually do for you?
Because if you don’t know that…
You’ll chase numbers that don’t mean anything when you hit them.
And that’s when burnout shows up.
If you’re leading a team, this isn’t your exercise alone.
- Are your people taking real action or hiding behind “busy”?
- Are they building expertise or repeating mistakes?
- Do they know what success actually means to them, or just chasing quota?
This week, don’t overcomplicate it.
- Take action (real action)
- Build expertise (the right way)
- Define success (your way)
Because when those three line up? That’s when this job gets fun again.
Lynn