In a world full of salespeople who almost win, serial winners are the few who do it again and again. Serial winners don’t mope, don’t wish, don’t wait and don’t hope.
Becoming a serial winner
The secret of serial winning is to always be improving (ABI). The ABI principle differentiates serial winners from average salespeople. If obstacles block one route to victory, serial winners adjust their plans and try something different. When they win, they strive to win again and again.
Staying on track
Serial winners stay on track because they focus intensely on achieving their goals. They know exactly what they want and don’t let anything get in their way. Nothing can keep you from doing what serial winners do. There’s no copyright on wisdom and there’s no patent on action.
Exercise in self-management
Establishing yourself as a serial winner is an exercise in self-management, not just attitude. Having the right attitude changes nothing. Your attitude should derive from your actions. The right actions result in the right attitudes.
To become a serial winner who repeatedly comes out on top, apply this six-step cycle of winning:
- Don’t hesitate, decide. Winning is all about action. To succeed, keep moving ahead, no matter what obstacles appear. You will always experience doubts, but take a step forward. Some salespeople fear leaving their comfortable cocoons to try something new. When you start planning, know exactly what you want to achieve and create a framework for reaching your objective. Gain a complete understanding of what you need to do to advance toward your goal and to attain it.
- Don’t plan excessively, the perfect plan doesn’t exist. Trying to achieve the perfect plan may create a situation where doubts take over. Too much planning can crush your excitement about your goals and kill your enthusiasm. A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Winners move ahead and take the necessary steps to achieve their goals.
- Don’t just do it, overdo it. No matter what you want to accomplish, never aim small. Don’t try to achieve the merely acceptable. Set your sights as high as possible. A big goal involves leveraging positive stress to maintain your winning energy so you work overtime to attain your objectives. Do the things others aren’t willing to do. Stretch yourself to the limit to accomplish what you want to achieve. In particular, overdo when you first start out. Serial winners understand that it’s not what you have that matters; it’s what you do with what you have.
- Don’t quit, adjust. When your original plan doesn’t work, try something else. The only alternative to coming up with an alternative when you get knocked down is to remain on the canvas. Obstacles, problems and setbacks don’t crush serial winners. If things don’t work out, adjust your plans and move in a new direction. That’s not quitting. It’s adjusting. Action equals progress is a basic formula for serial winners.
- Don’t just start, finish. Tasks become more difficult as you get closer to the end of a project. It may take 98% of your effort to get the last 2% down. No matter what it takes or how tough things become, try to finish the projects you start. Serial winners make the extra effort to bring every sales call to a successful close. Closing every opportunity requires mental toughness every step of the way.
- Don’t settle, keep improving. Wins deliver momentum, but not for all salespeople. Some of them mistakenly believe that winning once means they’ll always win, so they ease up. They stop working hard. Eventually, they slow down and mediocrity becomes all they can achieve. Exploit a valuable side benefit of winning: your hard-won knowledge of what winning requires. Serial winners understand and remember the difficulties they overcame to close sales. Even as you win, you must stay sharp, capitalize on your success and plan to win again.
Adapted from: Serial Winner by Larry Weidel, who heads the financial services organization Primerica and creates books and videos on success, leadership and sales.
