Change: Lead it in your Life!

One thing is for sure, and you know it before you read it: change is inevitable; growth is optional. So don’t be a victim of the changes around you; be the victor of change within you.

 If you could back up one year and then look ahead to where you are now –would you have written your goals (both business/professional and personal) at that time to match the results you have now?  The answers for all the change we desire in our lives are all around us – in books, in people, in articles, on the internet (just Google it!); so with the plethora of knowledge, why are most of us in the same place today as we were a year ago, or worse – further behind?   There can be many reasons, but let me identify one major reason: lack of accountability.

 As a business owner and former commissioned sales professional, I encourage you to stop working in your business (sales development) and start working on your business!  For example, make a list of what you think a highly successful sales professional should be doing to develop and improve their success.  What would a successful year look like and how would you reward yourself?  What are your key performance measures – how much in sales do you need to produce just to meet your goal – this year, this month, this week, today?  What are the corresponding activity goals that will yield these results? Do you know your average sale amount, your hit ratios (closing percentages), and your ideal client profile?  Do you have an annual sales plan that would convince a banker to bet on you?  What routines can be systemized in your sales system to develop predictability, consistency and accuracy of priorities and related activities?  Do you test and measure to find out what works and what doesn’t?  How about the personal side – your family, your marriage, your finances, your health, your spiritual growth?  Are they any better than last year at this time?  Is there room for improvement? 

 These are just some of the areas of consideration in leading change both professionally and personally.  Now this is just a quick look, but it sure gets things going in the right direction – and as Robert Shuller says, “Beginning is half done”! 

 So how does accountability fit in?  As I said, all of what is written above is readily available at the local bookstore or online.  Knowledge is only part of the challenge; the rest is application.  Though incredibly influential and valuable, books, CDs, DVDs, websites, and magazines – none of these make good counselors, mentors or coaches.  They cannot speak to the uniqueness of the individual.  Only a person can do that – particularly one you respect and trust, yet outside the “box” of your business and personal life.

Find someone who is qualified, purposeful, and dedicated to your success and request his or her help!  None of us is as good as all of us!