The Playbook Blog

Resources for Leaders and Sales Professionals Ready to Put in the Work

Standard for Success #5: Willingness to Learn from Failures

Everybody fails.  Not everyone succeeds.  When you fail--and you will fail--the way to success is found in knowing what you did wrong, why and how the failure happened, and what you will do in the future to prevent it from happening again.  Don't play the blame game, pointing fingers at...
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Standard for Success #4: Eagerness to Practice and Improve

We're creatures of habit, either improving or getting a little worse at what we do.  Our skills have to be put into practice, but we also have to practice them, i.e., focus intensely on their growth and proper development.  Just as athletes can't rely on skill building during the game,...
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Standard for Success #3: Top Performance in the Assigned Position

As I discussed the other day, you need people in positions for which they have the right attributes and skills, but you also need to expect top performance.  Attributes and skills mean little if they're not embodied in action.  Let your team members know that each of their assigned positions...
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A Sign for Everything

Now here's a real estate agent who's mindful of a unique clientele.  Are haunted houses enough of a problem that "Not Haunted" house for sale signs are a thing? Props for knowing your prospective customers, I guess. Image via
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Standard for Success #2: The Right Attributes for the Job

Do you position your team members in the roles that best suit their attributes and skills?  This is important.  If you're baseball coach, you don't want farsighted players (with no corrective lenses) playing outfield.  You do want pitchers who can throw the ball with speed and precision.  You do want...
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Standard for Success #1: A Winning Attitude

Success is there for those who want it and are willing to do what it takes to achieve it.  This desire and willingness to succeed make up what I call a winning attitude.  It's not a passing thought or feeling that you get every once in a while.  It's the...
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Set the Standards for Success

Do you want a winning team?  Then you have to set standards and accept nothing less.  What are these standards? A winning attitude Attributes required for each job Top performance in the assigned position Eagerness to practice and improve Willingness to learn from failures Ownership of results Respectful support of...
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Accountability Goes Both Ways

Accountability means no excuses.  You acknowledge your responsibility for your actions, decisions, and policies.  You take ownership of their consequences. If you are a leader, you expect your team to be accountable to you and themselves, but they also expect (rightly!) that you will be accountable to them.   If you...
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Work Your Sales Plan

A quality sales plan will tell you where you are, where you want to be, and the steps you will take to get there.  Work your plan. Make it happen. Don't let it be a vague idea in your head or a detailed map buried in your desk.  Keep it...
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