Driving home from a coaching appointment this afternoon, I was almost hit by a car that ran a red light. The car would have directly hit the driver’s door and thus me.  Fortunately, I saw the situation unfolding and veered out of the way.  It was as close a ‘near miss’ as I have experienced EVER!

I even pulled over to the side of the road to catch my breath before getting back into traffic and to my office.  Whew!

Because I was alert, steered clear of the danger and paused afterward to regroup and drive safely, I made it to my destination unharmed.

Isn’t it like that in sales?  There are things we have NO control over that can derail our success:

• Competitors
• Change of people at our prospects/customers
• Unavailability of what we need to deliver

So what can we do?  3 things to drive success:

• Be alert.Watch for the potential ‘shifts’ in relationships, stay on top of the news in your industry, company and customers’ using Google alerts (does anyone have any other tips on alerts?)
• Steer clear of danger.  Navigate yourself out of potential harm by preparing as best you can and then acting on what you have committed to.  Ask the tough questions to gain feedback from your prospects and customers on budgets, potential competitors, their satisfaction with what you are doing/offering.
• Regroup regularly. Make the time to pause and recharge yourself. Take the time to mentally ‘be in the game’ at all times.

You never know when you will just avoid a collision with uncertainty and danger – but driving the 3 items listed will provide some preventive insurance that may help.