Beware the Thief of Success

There’s a three-letter word that stands between sellers and success. It’s not the word you. But it’s close. It’s ego: that internal dialogue we all have with ourselves that—if left unchecked—can manifest itself as self-absorption, stubbornness, and gives others the impression we have an attitude problem. That’s why I say ego is the thief of success. No one but you can bring it to heel. And you must do so. Your career as a sales professional depends on it. So, here’s how you get started on that mission-critical task. Be Willing to See the Problem No one can begin to fix a problem unless they’re willing to admit they have a problem first. I regularly work with sellers who are struggling to meet their numbers but who cross their arms and resist changing anything. In doing so, they overlook who is the common denominator at the center of their difficulties. Numbers don’t have an ego. So, you must measure performance on a regular basis to create a baseline of what’s normal. A client of mine—a sales team in the Medical software industry—was struggling to meet their quarterly numbers and their business culture was suffering. The sellers I interviewed there were steadfast in saying they were not the problem: “It’s the economy…or it’s the buyer.” But when we started measuring for baseline performance, we found that it should be taking five calls to get a qualified lead, followed by six meetings to get a sale (so… 5 x 6=30). Over five years, the metric within this sales team had slid steadily. Now, it was taking up to 200 calls to accomplish what used to be done within a total of 30 calls. Numbers were able to skillfully cut through the excuses. Now, everyone on the team could see the root of the problem and create a pathway to solving it. Understand the Dimension of the Problem Only when our ego is in check—when we stop blaming everyone but ourselves for a problem at hand—can we begin to see the full extent of how we are holding ourselves back from success. That’s why I tell clients to do more than just measure for r