There’s a price to success: One of the 25 most important things I’ve learned
By Dave Kahle
Recently, one of the members of my CBIG groups suggested I make a list of the 20 most important things I’ve learned in my 30 years of experience working with B2B sales organizations.
I was hesitant at first, because I thought it was a bit too focused on me. But I realized that I have learned some really important things, and that since I have a unique perspective and an out-of-the-box way of thinking, these may not be obvious to the world at large, and would potentially be helpful to a lot of people.
So, I created a list and discovered it to be far longer than 20 items. To narrow down the long list, I applied these four criteria:
1. It had to be an important lesson – one which has the potential to dramatically impact a person, a sales team, or a business -- not superficial or trivial.
2. It had to arise out of my personal experience. In other words, not something that I garnered from a book, or borrowed from someone else. Something I’ve learned in the trenches.
3. It had to have been tested in the caldron of real-world experience. No blue-sky stuff.
4. I had to unwaveringly vouch for its validity. These are concepts and lessons that I would stand behind.
Applying these four criteria, I narrowed the list down to 25, and then connected them to the group (or groups) to which that idea was most appropriate: Salespeople, sales leaders, small businesspeople, executives and businesspeople at large.
In no particular order, here’s one of the 25: Most people are not willing to invest in themselves and pay the price of personal growth and success.
For a lot of the people reading this post that doesn’t seem quite right. You have invested in yourselves: You read the books, attend the seminars and webinars, listen to the podcasts, etc. You have always sought to build your skills and become the best that you can be.
Doesn’t everyone else?
No. You’re not the rule, you are the exception. The fact that you are reading this post alone identifies you as one of the minority who really do seek to be successful. The vast majority of people don’t.
James Allen said, “Men are often interested in improving their circumstance, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.”
Much of my work involves interacting with people in the world of sales: salespeople, sales managers, sales leaders. I have often made this observation: “Randomly select 20 salespeople from any group, and you’ll discover that only one in 20 has spent $25 of his own money on his/her own improvement in the last 12 months.”
Astonishing! Why don’t the other 19 invest in themselves? You would think that salespeople, particularly, would see the wisdom in improving their skills. But they are no different than the vast majority of people in other professions. They don’t invest in themselves and pursue success because there is a price to personal improvement, there is a price for success, and the vast majority of people don’t want to pay the price. Given the choice between paying the price for success or remaining in the circumstances in which they find themselves, they choose the status quo.
What is the price?
We naturally think of the time and money invested in courses, webinars, podcasts, etc. But those are just excuses that serve to take the focus off of the real price: Their self-image. One of the lessons I’ve learned is that people will live up, or live down, to their image of themselves. This manifests at every level in an organization and shows up in three specific expressions.
Insecurity
The world is full of people who are insecure and afraid to admit that they may be able to learn something from someone else. Their fragile egos don’t want to put themselves in a place where they would have to admit that someone else may have a piece of content, an experience, or insights that might be helpful. So, they avoid any circumstances where that may come into play. They make up excuses for why they can’t attend the seminars, are too busy to take part in a webinar, and just can’t find the time to listen to a 10-minute podcast or watch a video. When it comes time for the role-playing exercise in the seminar, they suddenly have to make a phone call or use the rest room. They opt out of anything that might impinge on their insecurity. That’s too big a price to pay.
Contentment
Others are content with who they are, and they are content with their situation. I’ve often observed that the starting point for personal improvement is discontent. If there is nothing that you are discontented with – nothing you want to obtain, nothing you want to accomplish, nothing you want to become – then you have no motivation to take the steps necessary to accomplish anything.
Thomas Edison rightly observed: "Restlessness and discontent are the necessities of progress."
If he was content reading by candlelight, he would never have had the drive to invent the electric light bulb. So, too with all of us. If we are perfectly content, we will not have the emotional energy it takes to stretch ourselves out of our comfort.
I’ve often observed that the most difficult salesperson to work with is the 50-year-old whose kids are grown, the house is paid for, and is doing OK on the job. He/she is content. And that contentment is the killer of self-improvement and greater success.
Victim mentality
As long as you think that your situation is someone else’s responsibility, you’ll never muster the energy it takes to change and improve yourself. Unfortunately, this ‘victim mentality’ seems to be growing in our country. It seems like everyone is a victim these days. It is easier to blame someone else than it is to face up to your own lack of acumen.
There are some people who have taken victimization to a deeper level. At some deep level of their self-image, they just don’t see themselves as having the capacity to become more successful. Since they don’t think it’s a possibility for them – either because they are incapable, or because the universe is against them – there is no reason to try. They quit without ever having begun and resign themselves to a mediocre existence.
Victimization then takes two forms. It reaches out into the external world and blames others for their lack of success. Or it focuses inwardly and excuses the lack of success to either their own capabilities or the universe’s apathy.
Add these up, insecurity, contentment, and victimization, and you understand why only one in 20 people pursue success and is willing to pay the price.
Dave Kahle is one of the world's leading sales authorities. He's written twelve books, presented in 47 states and eleven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations. Sign up for his free weekly Ezine. His book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, has been recognized by three international entities as "one of the five best English language business books.” Check out his latest book, The Good Book on Business.
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