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We Only Learn From Failure #496
I’m a goof and I screw up a lot. I’m known to talk to myself and say things like “What were thinking?” or “You’re an idiot Pat.” This behavior really bugs my wife. She’ll say “Why are you so hard on yourself?” to which I reply “I’m not hard enough!’ But she may have a point. You can read good advice, or in the case of a podcast, listen to good advice but it’s not going to be embraced nearly as much as when you screw up and learn a lesson from it.
According to the author George Bernard Shaw “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” That’s the topic for today.
Today’s Chapter – Find Your Niche
A lost sale is a failure
and an opportunity to learn.
If you blame someone else,
or the circumstance,
there is no end to the blame.
Like the seasons
deals are won and lost.
Make failure, the opportunity to start again.
Yet this time with wisdom.
The Master Seller
meets their own obligations,
corrects their own mistakes,
Doing what they need to do,
demanding nothing of others.
Today’s Story – Know Your Niche
Just when Chris thought the deal was a given, the client called and backed out of the final meeting. Chris was devastated and embarrassed.
“What happened?” asked Pat. “I thought this was a sure deal. That’s what you told me.”
“I know.” responded Chris, “that’s what I thought but then I screwed it up.”
“How?” queried Pat.
Chris paused and then said, “After the first presentation they admitted they like our basic service. Then I got excited about the newly announced services and thought I could make the deal bigger. But when I presented the new services, to my surprise, it scared them. After thinking about it they decided to go with a competitor who has a simpler offer. I totally misjudged the situation.”
With an empathetic smile, Pat said, “You really screwed that up.”
“I know,” said Chris. “I know.”
“Think you’ll do that again?” asked Pat.
Chris laughed. “No way.”
Pat laughed too and said, “Failure is a tough thing, but it’s the only place we truly learn important lessons. Years from now you’ll forget all the clients you closed this year, but this deal you’ll never forget. The lessons from this deal will reap rewards if you honor them.”
Take Action Quote
We all make mistakes. That’s a given. What’s not a given is what we do with that mistake. Do we learn from it or instead repeat the error in an endless cycle? Too often sellers fail to take responsibility for their actions. It’s easy to blame the client, the market, the product, or the boss. Yet you have no control over any of them. All you can control is your own behavior and your own actions.
Lao Tzu said,
“Those without Virtue require others to fulfill their obligations.”
Wake up! The universe doesn’t pick favorites. Expect that failure comes with success. Err on the side of kindness and it will all work out.
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