I hate collateral. It has always been an excuse to self – prolong a sales cycle, in my opinion. Think about it – if my sales rep needs collateral to do his or her job, then another line of work is likely in order! Collateral does not build trust, display value in the context of the prospect’s business challenges or even (typically) display our business accurately. Some people I know who run a company have a joke that they are “integrated to the brochure level”! When it turns into a joke it is no longer funny (conundrum intended).

This collateral example is indicative of a larger issue which is that we are often socialized to explain our way through challenges to goal attainment.

We have all heard a portfolio of socially accepted excuses and unfortunately, some of us hear them regularly. They sound like:

• I would be successful if it weren’t for the economy.
• I would be successful if our prices were lower.
• I would be successful if someone would train me.
• I would be successful if I worked for a different manager.
• I would be successful if it weren’t for the tight X or Y market.

Sound familiar? Unfortunately, these socially accepted excuses are the enemy of personal accountability and can drag down an office, a team or a company. If you take a step back, and break it down, what they are saying is this:

“Hey, don’t judge me by the same criteria you judge others, because if you do, I am going to fail. But as long as you go along with the idea that our prices are too high, the prices fail, and my hands are clean.”

The amazing thing about this excuse is that there are other people in the company performing with the same prices, making Club and just being successful. Many people have started successful businesses in a down economy. Who are these people and why/how do they succeed?

Here is why they succeed:

Attitude: it is the start of everything. Think about it, everything we have accomplished in life or failed to accomplish started with our attitude. Attitude is the #1 predictor of success. Attitude is a better predictor of success than IQ.

Personal Accountability: this is a bit complex because we are now in the realm of an individual’s background and prior life experiences. Some people will play the victim and refuse to be self-accountable. This cannot be fixed.

Perseverance: this means investing in personal development and growing skills. It does NOT mean that we “never give up” to the point of detriment – as discussed in last month’s article. There is a huge difference here and one to reinforce with your Team.

Habit: the difference between the successful person and the unsuccessful person is positive habits. One example is time management. Explore this one first!

I wonder what it would look like the next time one of your Team members says something like “I need better collateral” we stopped and challenged this notion. Ask them about how they view their own attitude, ability to accept accountability, grow their skills and use their time. I am willing to bet that you can help them see a better pathway…either with you or somewhere else.

If you have any comments or would like to discuss the content of this article, please do not hesitate to call me at (321) 251-8181 or email me at matt@mchenryconsulting.net.