What distinguishes today’s society is its continually-shifting landscapes. Never in humanity’s history has there been a generation where trends, mindsets and ways of doing things change every so often. In fact, social media and the use of artificial intelligence further enhanced these shifts. And since change is inevitable, sales leaders must be equipped and ready to step outside their comfort zones any time, every time.
Here are three things every sales leaders must keep in mind in traversing the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business and work landscapes.
Know that excuses are for losers
Heraclitus, the Ancient Greek philosopher, famously remarked that ‘the only thing constant is change.’ It was true then, and it’s even more rampant now. Hence, sales leaders must be prepared for it. The worse that can happen is to sit and simply wait for change to come. Remember this-as sales leaders, we are not mere spectators, but movers and shakers of economy. We don’t wait for change to happen, we prepare and plan for it in order to gain victory. Winners never dwell on excuses, and that’s why we never play the blame game.
Embrace change
The ability to embrace change is a mark of every successful sales leader. Therefore, the capacity to constantly step outside one’s comfort zone is an essential ingredient for sales leaders. Develop the habit of planning ahead by thinking outside-the-box and adopting a break-the-ceiling mindset. Learn from Kodak and Nokia who used to dominate the film and cellphone markets, respectively. Leaders from these companies failed to embrace change which eventually led to the downfall of these organizations. They already knew that change was in the near horizon, but they refused to accept its reality. So what do we need to do? Embrace change.
Lead change
They say that offense is the best defense. The same is true in dealing with change. Instead of simply planning for adaptation measures, lead change by crafting new directions. Sales leaders disrupt markets by introducing change. Go ahead and be proactive and innovate, and change the rules of the game. Instead of just going with the bandwagon, become the trailblazer. When asked why I wrote the book ‘The Effective Seller,’ my response was a quote from Toni Morrison-‘If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ This encapsulates my point: lead the change.
Alexey Rola Cajilig is the Founder, President and CEO of ARCWAY Consultancy Inc., and Senior Vice President and COO of EM-CORE DOTNET Inc. He is a Sales Leadership Coach, Strategic Sales Operations Consultant, Christian Motivational Speaker, Human Ecologist and Author of Life is a Classroom, The Effective Seller, Solving the Sales Puzzle and Practical Market Intelligence. He is also the creator of ARCH Styles, a behavioral and personality assessment and discovery tool. If you have questions and suggestions, you may connect with him at https://www.facebook.com/coachlexey and at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexey-rola-cajilig.