This might be the biggest mirror moment question of them all... What are you willing to abandon to rise above the empty suits?

"Not managing your time and making excuses are two bad habits. Don't put them both together by claiming you 'don't have the time'."

Bo Bennett

This powerful quote highlights how easy it is to fall into the trap of making excuses when one fails to manage their time effectively.

Saying "I don't have time" often just means that one hasn't prioritized or organized their tasks well enough. Time management is less about having enough hours in the day and more about how one chooses to use those hours.

The sales world is riddled with excuses. All this does is stagnate growth, prosperity and sustainability. Making excuses prevents one from taking action and achieving their goals.

Unfortunately, many in sales are self-sabotaging themselves as excuses have become their way of justifying inaction.

No way around it, if you want to transform your sales results, then you must embrace change for any kind of remarkable growth.

Poor sales performance is due to bad sales habits.

Your journey to better sales performance begins with small changes to your daily habits.

To grow, you must be willing to accept change. Simple for some yet so difficult for many, especially in sales.

Question for all of you to think about... How are you self-managing yourself to change?

According to transformingeducation.org, "Self-management, can be defined as the ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations."

Self-management equates to you understanding your personal responsibility in different aspects of your sales life and doing what you need to do to fulfill that responsibility.

So, the question becomes...

Are you doing what you need to do to fulfill your sales responsibility to your company and yourself?

I strongly believe to rise above all the other empty suits, you must break bad sales habits.

Habits are simply behaviors that impact the decisions one makes about how to spend their time, their sales activities and resources.

From the most tenured of salespeople to the less experienced, recognizing what's a good versus bad habit is the first critical step in understanding why you do certain things while avoiding other things, like prospecting.

I wholeheartedly believe that deeply rooted within bad sales habits, is a complete lack of personal accountability.

What constitutes bad sales habits?

At what point do these habits begin sabotaging your productivity, performance and more importantly, your pipeline?

CHOICES, PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Weak salespeople point fingers and deflect, sales professionals find out what they did wrong and correct it.

Honesty, it's the first step in personal accountability.

Personal accountability refers to the willingness to accept responsibility for one's actions, decisions, and consequences. This is about recognizing that you're the architect of your own life.

Personal accountability is empowering.

Personal accountability builds trust.

Personal accountability improves sales performance.

Sales professionals build a strong sense of self, based upon personal accountability and these three things:

• They don't blame others

• They constantly look in the mirror

• They always work on their process

Let this quote from J.Michael Straczynski sink in,

"People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives."

Blaming others is often a defense mechanism that allows individuals to avoid confronting their own shortcomings or failures.

Placing blame impacts relationships. When one shifts blame, this starts to erode trust, causing resentment inside of relationships.

What will you commit too abandoning to rise above the empty suits?

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TAKE MASSIVE ACTION, RISE ABOVE THE EMPTY SUITS

Here are a few simple yes/no questions:

• Will you make the commitment to yourself?

• Will you be willing to put in the time and do the work necessary to become a true sales professional?

Grab a pad of paper and a pen, and now, I would like for you to answer the following:

• What prevents salespeople from becoming sales professionals?

• What stunts sales growth?

• What are the ultimate sales buzzkills?

• What will you be willing to abandon to become a better salesperson?

Again, I must ask... What will you commit too abandoning to rise above the empty suits?

Transformation requires abandonment.

ABANDON EXCUSES, TRANSFORM RESULTS

Sales professionals say no to excuses.

A commitment to excellence becomes the key to unlocking sales success.

I'm deeply concerned with the current state of many within sales.

A sales culture of excuses and finger-pointing has replaced hard work, discipline and determination.

It saddens me that many in sales use excuses to rationalize their actions regarding their circumstances and actions toward other people, as they create stories to justify why they didn't hit their numbers.

Excuses are pure crapola and often the primary reasons why many salespeople are unable to accomplish what they need to succeed.

Are you willing to take personal responsibility to smash your sales targets?

No ands ifs or buts, you must hold yourself accountable to YOU.

It’s no one else’s responsibility to help you get to where you need to be; it’s yours and yours alone. This means that if you have a crappy month and fail to meet your plan, it’s not your manager’s fault, your customers’ fault, nor your prospects’ fault—it’s your fault!

You must suck it up, self-reflect, buckle down, and get to work. Look at yourself in the mirror and commit to getting better.

Stop excusing your failures or your procrastination and start taking the steps necessary to become a sales professional.

Transformation requires commitment, action, and a willingness to learn from both successes and failures.

By stopping the cycle of excuses and procrastination, setting clear goals, enhancing skillset, and proactively seeking opportunities for growth, you soon start creating sales sustainability as you rise above the empty suits.

ABANDON FEAR, TRANSFORM RESULTS

“Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person.”

Seth Godin

By recognizing and confronting fear rather than succumbing to it, this starts paving the way for success and fulfillment.

Embracing fear allows one to expand their capabilities to achieve their goals, as this builds resilience and determination.

Overcoming fear, it's not just about bravery; it's about understanding oneself better and using that knowledge to propel forward not backward.

Your success depends on you.

Everything from driving profitability, to bringing in new business, and client retention depends on you.

What's concerning are the number of salespeople who lack confidence with their sales abilities and skillset.

Whose fault is that? Lack of practice, preparation and planning may have something to do with your low skill set.

With conviction and based on observation, it's no surprise that many salespeople are nervous, afraid, and hesitant to do anything relevant to improving their sales skill set.

Why? Fear of being exposed! Yes, I said it!

Admitting one's weakness is no easy step, but it is a step in the right direction.

Develop the courage needed to overcome your fears. Vulnerability will set you free.

Fear of being exposed will keep you in a state of complacency, keeping you trapped with all the other empty suits.

Everyone has the capability and strength to change. Becoming vulnerable with yourself won’t hurt you. It may create some internal dents, but it is well worth it.

Set aside the fear...

• Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

• Admitting to yourself that you don't know everything, is not a sign of weakness.

• Embracing the chaos and the stories in your mind, is not a sign of weakness.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

Theodore Roosevelt

Remember, every successful salesperson has faced challenges and failures along their path; what sets them apart is their willingness to try despite those obstacles.

ABANDON EGO, TRANSFORM RESULTS

I believe sales professionals check their ego at the door.

Social media, the movies and a vast majority of the public portray salespeople as egomaniacs with slick-backed hair and a “do whatever it takes to close the sale” mentality.

Perception is reality and it sure does remind us of Glengarry Glen Ross scenes, doesn't it?

While there’s always some truth to stereotypes, the biggest exceptions to the rule lie within each one of us.

A sales ego is a huge growth buzzkill.

Ego certainly plays a part in one's success, but it can also hinder one from significant sales growth.

In this highly connected, digitally driven and socially empowered business world; highly assertive, a know-it-all mentality along with a super-charged ego will be the kiss of sales death.

Real-deal sales professionals, you know... the true superstars, the ones that sell from the heart... They're open-minded, curious, collaborative, vulnerable, open to learning and aim for genuine partnerships with their clients.

These professionals are humble, have humility and operate without any deception whatsoever. This is in direct conflict to the behavior of ego-driven salespeople.

Being an ego-maniac and self-serving, ruins relationships, cuts you off from authentic experiences and erodes your clients' happiness.

Albert Einstein once said,

“More the knowledge, lesser the ego. Lesser the knowledge, more the ego.”

True sales wisdom lies in recognizing how much there is still to learn. Are you willing to go on a learning journey?

TRANSFORMATION REQUIRES ACTION

Many salespeople have terrific intentions but simply fail to act on them. Without taking action, intentions remain unrealized dreams.

What would happen if you removed the excuses, overcame your fears and squashed your ego? Would this change your sales results? Would this help you in prospecting for new business or strengthen your client relationships?

Start trusting yourself as you look into your sales future. Don't hide parts of yourself your feelings, beliefs, or ideas to fit in or please others.

Rise above all the empty suits and take charge of your sales career.

What will you be willing to abandon?

I believe we abandon ourselves when we do not value ourselves, when we do not act in our own best interest, and when we do not encourage ourselves.

Let's all be real... We have all laid down the excuse egg.

Whining, moaning and crying in sales can be prevented. It starts with giving a rip about yourself and your career. Why is this important? You owe it your employer and more importantly your family.

What will you abandon to rise above all the empty suits?

Transformation requires commitment, action, and a willingness to learn from both successes and failures.

Remember, every step you take, whether forward or backward contributes to your overall growth and development.

Will you take the first step?

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.