I was watching an episode of that NFL Quarterback series the other day – you know, the behind-the-scenes kind of show that gives you a real look at what these athletes go through.
Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Falcons, said something that hit me hard:
“Failure is so much more common than success.”
Man… isn’t that the truth?
He was talking about football, dropped passes, interceptions, missed plays, but the second he said it, I thought, “That’s not just football. That’s life. And it’s absolutely sales.” I have seen this time and time again as a Sales Leadership Keynote Speaker, author and coach.
The Sales Game: More No’s Than Yeses
If you’ve been in sales longer than five minutes, you already know this:
You’re going to hear “no” way more than you hear “yes.”
You’re going to lose more deals than you close.
You’ll have more missed goals than trophy moments.
You’ll mess up more pitches than you perfect.
But here’s the thing, that’s not a sign you’re failing. It’s proof you’re in the game.
Great sales professionals (and great leaders) don’t fear failure.
They expect it, learn from it, and keep going anyway.
Why Failure Is Actually Part of Success
Here’s something I tell every team I coach as a Sales Leadership Keynote Speaker:
If you only focus on your wins, you’re missing the real growth.
Think about it. Where do you learn the most?
From the deal you closed easily?
Or the one you lost and had to unpack what went wrong?
We grow through failure. It sharpens our instincts. It humbles our ego. It teaches us how to prepare better, listen harder, and lead stronger.
And when we model that resilience for our teams? That’s when the culture changes. That’s when people stop fearing failure and start chasing greatness.
3 Ways Sales Leaders Can Normalize Failure (and Use It for Growth)
Talk About It Openly
Stop pretending like everything’s always up and to the right. Be the leader who says, “Yep, I’ve missed goals too,” or “Let me tell you about the time I lost our biggest deal of the year.” Vulnerability builds trust and it creates a culture of learning.
Celebrate Effort, Not Just Results
Yes, we have quotas. Yes, performance matters. But effort drives performance. Celebrate the behaviors that lead to success – like scrimmaging, follow-up, and practicing objections, even when they don’t lead to a win.
Coach Through the Misses
Don’t just say, “What happened?” when someone loses a deal. Sit down with them and say, “Let’s break it down. What can we learn?” That conversation is where confidence is built. Not in the win, but in the recovery.
A Final Thought from the Sidelines
Back to Kirk Cousins for a minute. He knows what it’s like to get hit, lose games, hear boos from the stands and still suit up the next Sunday.
That’s leadership.
In sales, we may not wear helmets, but we get hit every day, with rejection, objections, and pressure. Our job isn’t to avoid the hits. It’s to keep getting up, learning, adjusting, and moving forward.
So the next time you strike out or get a “no,” remember:
Failure isn’t the opposite of success – it’s part of the path.
And the sales leaders who embrace that truth?
They’re the ones who win in the long run.
Let’s go lead. Let’s go coach. Let’s go win.