STRATEGY

Difficulties Mastered Are Opportunities Won - Winston Churchill

Life�s like a wave, isn�t it? It has its crests and its troughs. It�s much smoother and more fun on the crest than in the trough � ask any surfer.

Watching the Proteas beat England in East London last night, reminded me that life is a series of setbacks and triumphs. As you probably know, our cricketers have been in the deepest valley of late, losing all but one 1-day international � and the first ever test series defeat to England on home soil. Now they�ve won three games in a row and seem set to take the series.

The lesson in this is that our lives are like waves. Sometimes we�ll be up and sometimes we�ll be down � yet, mostly we survive and thrive after the bad times, don�t we? As you read these words, consider that you�ve faced your own personal tragedy at some stage in your life. And, you thought you�d never get through it � but you did. You�re reading this aren�t you?

When you�re in a dark valley always tell yourself that this too will pass. Unfortunately, when you�re on a hill and everything you touch turns to gold � will also pass. This is life.

As a sales professional, how do you turn this universal concept to your favour? Easy. When you�re selling well and closing deals left right and centre, don�t take your foot off the accelerator. Keep on pushing because you�re in the zone. You are sending out winning signals at 300 000 km/s to everyone you come into contact with. The reason you go full out is because this too will pass and you will be in a slump at some stage. As you know in sales, you�re only as good as your last sale. You can be from hero to zero in the blink of an eye.

When you�re in a slump, don�t give up. Keep working your strategy (that�s assuming that you have a strategy � most sales teams I come across are tactically orientated with a myopic vision for the future). Keep on digging for new prospects, keep on phoning for appointments, keep yourself in front of prospects and at some stage you�ll be on the crest of the wave again.

You may be on the road to Damascus, blind and afraid � don�t give up because you will come out of this with a new vision and vigour. Remember that it�s the crucible moments in our lives that forge our destinies. Pick up the phone, call a prospect now and reclaim your place at the crest of the wave.

Looking Sideways with Winston Churchill ;-)

In 1960, a reporter from the London Evening Standard asked Churchill what he thought about the recent prediction that by the year 2000 women would be ruling the world, he muttered gloomily in reply, �They still will, will they?�

By the way, Winston Churchill, like all of us, also went through hills and valleys. The Boers incarcerated him in South Africa. He was in the political wilderness in the 30s, a (almost) lone voice warning the world about the menace called Hitler. In 1941 he was called on to save Britain who was on her knees waiting for the axe to fall. With the defeat of Germany, he was on top of his game and victorious in 1945. The following year he was voted out of office by the very people he had saved. Talk about a tough break.

A hallmark of intelligence is the willingness to change one�s mind � Anonymous