Not Every Day or Year is a Winner
Keep fighting through the challenging times
Listing to Above the Line by Stephen and Mara Klemich I heard a great quote from them. This is not word for word, but directionally I’m right.
“Some days are not some days just like some months and years are summit years and some years are not summit years. That is why potential is so hard to reach. The process is never what you expect it to be.”
Not every month or year is a winner
Every business has challenging months and years. When you are learning how to sell you are going to have the same cycles. Some days and months will be great and you will gain a lot of prospects and some will be terrible and you will hardly gain any new prospects. The key is working through those challenging times. You have to pick up the phone one more time. You have to follow-up with one more mad customers. Because it is easy, but because that is how you continue to learn and grow and get better. Mentally prepare yourself for some challenging times. Know that you will have to have outlets to work through stress. Know that you need to have support around you in your business and outside of your business. Have a financial safety net as well. Make sure you have retained earnings to weather a dry spell. Also remember this is temporary. It is a season that will pass. Just like the heat of summer or the cold in winter it will not be around forever. So prepare yourself and continue to push through it one day at a time.
The path will be challenging
So this is not a new concept and you have probably already heard it a million times as you’ve started your business. But it is important remember on your journey to the summit. Just like climbing a mountain running your business and learning sales is not a straight forward journey. Ther will be challenges along the way. You will lose customer because of a bad experience. You will not close that deal with a new client and have financial challenges before of that. There is good chance that you are going to have to fire somebody along the way. You may have to say no to a “great opportunity” because your business is not ready to take on that challenge. That is only. Just continue to put one foot in front of the other. When you stumble or fall, just like climbing a mountain pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get a drink of water and then continue putting one foot in front of the other.
Things to consider as you get to a challenging time.
What is your support system?
Do you have a supportive partner?
Do you have a counsel of other business owners you can talk to?
Do you have a mentor?
What can you learn form this challenge?
How can you improve your sales pitch for the next time?
What improvements can you make in your customer service?
What questions should you has in the next interview?
What additional savings should you have on hand?
Consider questions like these to ensure you are prepared, as you can be for the challenging times.
Enjoy the summit when you are there
Not sure how many of you have actually climbed a mountain, or maybe just a nice scenic hike, but when you get to the top you take in the view. You rest for a bit and drink some water, high five those you are hiking with, take some photos for later, and eat something to fuel your body for the hike back. When you have a great year (a summit year), or month for that matter, celebrate with the team. Bring in lunch, schedule a nice dinner, create a plack or trophy to put up in the office. Acknowledge the hard work of those on the team that made it happen. Often times we just move on to the next because we want to keep the wheels turning and the revenue coming in, but it is important to celebrate our victories. Take a day or an afternoon and enjoy the win with the team, it will go a long way to building a great team.
Now just like with celebrating at the top of a mountain, you do not want to linger. After all there are more mountains to conquer and the weather can change rapidly. So once you have celebrated and said your thank you’s. Move on to the next mountain. Reflect on lessons learned, make your improvements to the sales pitch, the continuous improvements and then go attach the next mountain.
So Remember:
Not every day, month or year will be a summit year.
Prepare yourself for challenges and make sure you have a support team.
Celebrate your victories, but do not linger too long on them.
Will this month or year be a summit month or year for you? Why or Why not? Is there anything you can do this week to change that? Go and act.
Thank you for your time and attention today. If you found some value please share with a friend or on your socials. It is greatly appreciated!