Permission to fail

There’s a thing about failure in the air. Jerry Colonna just released a Podcast “Fail with Honour”. Seth Godin recommends buying Pema Chodren’s new book “Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better” on the basis that your failure narrative keeps you from succeeding. I find these perspectives inspiring and so should you if you sell consultancy.

When I started out in selling it took over 9 months before the first deal was closed. I was nearly fired. But as one of my supporters at the time said “You’re doing all the right things. Just keep doing them and you’ll start winning work.”

I practiced and failed, practiced and failed. Lots of proposals, presentations, cold sales calls, account management plans. Many more setbacks than wins. But each lost deal and failure was an opportunity to learn more about selling. Eventually everything came together. A year later I was hailed one of the company’s top sales performers.

To sell consultancy effectively you need tenacity. Give yourself permission to fail. And laugh when you do. Then practice some more. Success will come.

The bottom line:

Get real: In sales failure and success go hand-in-hand.

Get prepared: Think through sales calls and the potential for failure. Modify you plans accordingly.

Get savvy: You can’t win deals you don’t go for.

Thanks as always for reading.