TOUGH APPLE…in the summer of 2008 the Apple Corporation launched a new program which was the predecessor to it’s current iCloud. It was called MobileMe and was intended to link products and data together easily. Unlike most of Apple’s products it was a complete flop! The response from Senior Management was swift. The whole MobileMe team was called into an auditorium on the Apple Campus, Steve Jobs raked them all over the coals, and the leader was fired on the spot! Here’s a direct quote from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs… “As Fortune Magazine’s Adam Lashinsky reported in a dissection of the Apple corporate culture, Accountability is strictly enforced.“
The business world can be incredibly rewarding. It can also be incredibly tough. Apple is the most successful technology product company in the world. The message is very clear… in order to be highly successful, there must be a system of tough accountability in place. The Business of Sales certainly works the same way. Success does not happen without the necessary accountability.
Here’s your ACTION STEP…to be a strong parent you must hold your children accountable, to be a strong manager you must hold your employees accountable. It follows then that to be a strong Salesperson there must be strong accountability in place. Let’s look at some of the accountabilities that I see every day in Coaching Salespeople who are successful. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on the following accountabilities:
“Must-Have” Accountabilities of Successful Salespeople
1. They start the day early at a specified time, it never varies (they go to bed early, too!)
2. They have 3-4 repeatable priorities that they complete every day
3. They do a measurable amount of lead generation every day. They always meet a minimum standard
4. At least 80% of the time they do their prospecting & lead follow-up in the morning
5. They eat healthy, drink moderately, and exercise at least three times per week
6. They take planned time off to constantly recharge themselves
7. They take 100% responsibility for their actions and their results… NO Excuses
How well did you rate yourself? Do you really have enough accountability in place? One of the challenges of dealing with accountability in Sales is that much of it must be self-imposed. This is tough! It’s hard to “hold your feet to the fire” all by yourself. The most successful Salespeople quickly figure out that “I do much better when someone is forcing me to take a NO Excuses approach”. What sort of accountability do you have in place? Is it all self-imposed? If you are really committed to performing at the highest level then you need someone to hold you accountable to all the important “must do’s”. Whether it is a Coach or a mentor or a “tough love” friend… get someone to help. My definition is that great Coach is “someone who will not let you settle for what you think is your best“. Make a decision to increase your accountability today. NO Excuses.