Sink The 8-Ball

Pool is a game of angles. I was shooting pool with a colleague tonight. I managed to force all three games with him down to the final ball. Both of us trying to sink that elusive “8-ball”. Somehow, I managed to lose all three games. So close and yet, so far. Close to victory yet walking away in defeat.

How is this like business? Well, it depends on what angle you look at. Sure, I lost all three games. Losing is never fun. But, in all three games I was right in it to the end. A worthy competitor.

I have learned in 18 years of sales and marketing that sometimes even when you are a worthy competitor you still lose. Sometimes numerous times in a row. When you lose in sales, there usually is no prize for second place. No silver medal if you will. So what do you do? You have to assess what went wrong, what your deficinecy was or is and try to correct that in the next sales situation. If you keep repeating the same process and not winning, you are essentially spinning your wheels - and going nowhere. The other really important thing is to keep a positive perspective and attitude. The losing gets worse when negativity creeps in and that can effect morale in your organization.

So, keep positive, focus on improvement, and keep building on your strengths. Focus on the task…look at all the angles and sink that 8-ball!