“Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them."

John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

I believe this quote should stop you dead in your tracks, possibly even becoming your wake-up call.

Why am I saying this? Because salespeople make promises every single day, often without realizing the full weight of what they’ve just committed to.

What I'm referring to aren't just the spoken promises but the unspoken ones, the subtle ones and the behavioral ones.

When you say, I’ll follow up, you’re promising reliability. When you say, we’ll take care of you, you’re promising trust.

When you say, this will solve your problem, you’re promising impact. When you say, I’ll get back to you, you’re promising respect.

Most salespeople don’t fail because they lie. They fail because they underestimate the promises they’re making.

Every meeting sets an expectation, every email sets a standard, and every interaction creates a memory.

Your clients and prospects aren’t just listening to what you say, they’re watching how you show up after you say it.

Deeply reflect upon this for a moment...

• Do your actions consistently match the promises your words imply?

• Have you ever overpromised and underdelivered?

• Are you conscious of the trust withdrawals you make when you don’t follow through?

• What promises are your clients assuming you’re making without you ever saying them out loud?

Your intentions don’t matter nearly as much as your consistency.

You don’t build trust by being charismatic in the moment. You build trust by honoring the promises embedded in your behavior, especially the small ones.

Salespeople who win in the long-term aren’t perfect, they’re hyper aware.

Aware that...

• Every commitment costs trust if broken

• Every shortcut compounds distrust

• Every promise, spoken or implied, must be earned daily

Are you making promises you’re truly willing to live up to or promises your future self will resent having to keep?

Your reputation isn’t built on what you say in the moment, it’s built on whether the promises you make today still hold up tomorrow.

Buckle up as our journey together may get a bit rocky, turbulent and direct.

Why Different Results Require an Uncomfortable Look in the Mirror

The calendar has flipped to a new year. The champagne has fizzed and the motivational posts are flooding your social media feeds.

You're seeing this... New year, new goals, new hustle, and new results, and yet... Deep down inside, there’s a quiet voice asking the question many don’t want to answer... What if this year looks exactly like last year because nothing changes?

I mentioned to you that it was going to get a bit rough and extremely direct.

The sales profession is full of talented people who talk about change every January and then quietly return to the same behaviors by February.

Same excuses, same patterns, same pipeline panic sets in by the end of Q2 and well, the same frustration by the end of the year.

However, every year, we convince ourselves that this is the year it will be different.

Folks, we all know, hope is not a strategy. Motivation is not transformation, and intention without execution is pure self-deception.

Let's call our time together your mirror moment.

I'm not referring to the kind where you check your hair and move on but the kind where you stop, stare, and ask questions that make you uncomfortable enough to change.

The Hard Truth Most Salespeople Avoid

If you’re honest, the problem isn’t the market, it’s not the economy, it’s not your price, it’s not your product, and it’s not even your prospects.

You know what it is? It’s the version of you that keeps showing up the same way and expecting a different outcome.

Albert Einstein famously called that insanity, and yet salespeople do it every year.

Same prospecting habits, same conversations, same lack of preparation, and same comfort zone disguised as experience.

Then many of you act shocked when your results don’t change.

What specifically are you doing differently this year that forces a different result?

Not hoping, not wishing, not promising, just plain old doing.

Are Your Goals Honest or Just Safe?

Most sales goals are comfortable lies.

They sound ambitious enough to look good, but not bold enough to require any kind of growth.

• Are your goals built around who you want to be or who you already are?

• Did you choose numbers that stretch you or numbers that won’t expose you if you fall short?

• Are you chasing growth or protecting your ego?

If your goals don’t scare you, they won’t change you.

Growth requires tension, discomfort, new skills, and new behaviors.

Mirror moment...

• What would you aim for if you stopped worrying about failing publicly?

• Who would you have to become to earn the results you say you want?

• What habits would have to die for that future version of you to exist?

New Promises Don’t Produce New Results, New Habits Do

January is the month of promises.

• I’m going to prospect more.

• I’m going to be more consistent.

• I’m going to focus on value.

Then reality shows up or should I say the excuses show up.

Meetings get busy, email feels safer than calling, LinkedIn scrolling replaces meaningful outreach, and preparation gives way to winging it.

Slowly and quietly, the promises fade.

Your calendar tells the truth your mouth won’t.

You don’t need better intentions; you need better discipline.

Mirror moment...

• What does your calendar reveal about your real priorities?

• How much time last year did you spend on activities that felt productive but didn’t move revenue?

• Where did comfort win over commitment?

New results require disciplined habits, especially when no one is watching.

Are You Building Trust or Just Chasing Transactions?

Sales has changed, as your clients and prospects are more skeptical, more informed, and a lot more guarded.

Yet, how many salespeople are still running old plays in a vastly different business world?

Talking more than listening, pitching instead of understanding, and pushing instead of serving.

Do your clients experience you as a trusted advisor or just another vendor with good intentions?

Trust isn’t built by saying the right things, it’s built by showing up the right way consistently.

Mirror moment...

• Do you truly understand your clients’ world or just your product?

• When was the last time you challenged a client for their benefit, not your commission?

• Would your clients say you bring meaningful value or just follow up well?

If you want different results, you don’t need better scripts. What you need are deeper relationships, clearer conviction, and more courage.

Same You, Same Comfort Zone, Same Results

Comfort is the silent killer of sales careers. It doesn’t announce itself, it blends in.

It sounds like...

• I’ve been doing this a long time.

• This has always worked for me.

• My clients don’t expect that.

Translation? I don’t want to risk being uncomfortable.

As Jim Rohn once said,

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”

Here’s the hard truth most seasoned salespeople never hear... Your experience can become your ceiling the moment you stop challenging it.

Mirror moment...

• When was the last time you intentionally worked on a weakness instead of polishing a strength?

• What skills are you avoiding because you can still get by without them?

• Where are you relying on past wins instead of earning future ones?

Growth doesn’t come from tenure; it comes from tension.

New year's don’t break ceilings, new behaviors do.

Grab your copy of Selling from the Heart, click here.

Are You Selling with Conviction or Just Showing Up?

Conviction is contagious and so is hesitation.

Your clients don’t need to be told the difference, they feel it.

They know when you believe in what you bring to the business table. They sense when confidence is rooted in truth, and they recognize almost instantaneously, when you’re playing it safe.

Scripture reminds us,

“Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no.”

Matthew 5:37

Conviction isn’t forceful, it’s clear.

It comes from knowing who you are, why you serve, and what you stand for, even when it costs you a deal.

Mirror moment...

• Do you believe deeply in the value you bring or are you hoping the client convinces themselves?

• Are you willing to walk away from opportunities that compromise alignment or integrity?

• Do you lead conversations with purpose or follow them to avoid tension?

The salespeople who win consistently aren’t louder, they don’t pressure, and they don’t chase... They bring more clarity.

They know who they serve, what problems they’re called to solve, and they trust that saying no to the wrong fit creates space for the right one.

Conviction isn’t about closing more deals; it’s about honoring the truth and letting the right deals close themselves.

The Mirror Doesn’t Lie but It Also Doesn’t Judge

Here’s the good news, and this isn’t about shame, it’s about ownership.

You're not stuck, you're not broken, and you're not behind, however; you're responsible.

Responsible for how you show up, responsible for the habits you tolerate, and responsible for the excuses you keep alive.

When you look in the mirror, you aren't looking at a failure; you’re looking at the architect of the outcome.

The mirror is the ultimate accountability partner because it offers a reflection without a lecture. It doesn't care about your why; it only shows you the what.

Mirror moment...

• What excuse are you ready to retire this year?

• What truth have you been avoiding because it demands change?

• What would happen if you fully owned your results good or bad?

We often lose our way in small, quiet moments where we tell ourselves, it doesn't matter.

We tolerate mediocre discovery or half-hearted follow-ups, and then act surprised when the opportunity stalls.

Truly Selling from the Heart means having the integrity to do the right thing and behalf of your clients and prospects, when the mirror is the only one watching.

New Results Require a New Standard

Proverbs 11:1 helps us to deepen this message, as it reads,

"The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him."

Your scales are your standards. If you use dishonest scales by cutting corners on discovery, half-hearted follow-ups, or superficial preparation, you cannot expect an abundant harvest of success.

The mirror doesn't judge, but it reflects whether your weights are accurate or if you are tipping the scales with excuses.

A new standard isn't about buying a brand-new planner; it’s about the integrity of your internal metrics.

Things such as a...

• Standard for preparation

• Standard for follow-through

• Standard for integrity

You're responsible for what has been entrusted to you. You're not stuck or broken; you're simply the architect of your current outcomes based on the standards you've tolerated.

When you raise your standard, you aren't just changing your habits, you're changing your identity from a transaction-seeker to a trusted advisor.

Mirror Moment...

• If God (or your highest self) were auditing your scales today, which one would be found light?

• What just this once excuse are you ready to retire to ensure your weights are accurate this year?

This Is the Year You Stop Lying to Yourself

To stop lying to yourself is to stop accepting a counterfeit or fraudulent foundation for your results.

I believe it's the radical admission that your current outcomes are perfectly aligned with your level of awareness and ownership.

Galatians 6:7 reads,

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

If you sow cutting corners, you will reap stalled deals.

The mirror doesn't lie because it reflects the truth of your attention.

Once you stop lying, you trade the heavy burden of excuses for the empowering weight of responsibility/

This means...

• Leading yourself first

• Creating clarity over friction

• Having massive amounts of integrity when no one is watching you

The most dangerous lies are the ones that allow your standards to lower and your habits to drift.

Mirror Moment...

• If you were to audit the seeds you sowed this week, would you be excited about the harvest?

• If not, what specific lie are you ready to stop telling yourself so you can start leading with a heart of integrity today?

Who You Must Become

New results don’t come from new goals; they come from a new level of ownership.

The question isn’t... What do I want this year?

The real question you must be asking yourself... Who do I need to become to earn it?

Different outcomes demand a different you. Someone more intentional, more disciplined, and possibly, a bit more honest, especially with themselves.

So, as this new year begins, don’t just make promises you can explain away later. Make decisions, changes, and commitments you can’t hide from especially when no one is watching.

The next time you look in the mirror, don’t ask for a better year, become the kind of salesperson who creates one.

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.