What we cannot control in sales

what-we-cannot-control-in-sales

Last week we talked about what we can control and influence in sales, especially in uncertain times.  This week is looking at what we cannot control in sales and how to learn to live with it. 

What (and who) we cannot control

Let’s face it, we operate in a complex world where many things are outside our direct control and influence, yet these very things can influence and affect ourselves, our clients, markets, and communities. There are some very interesting frameworks that can help us separate out a range of factors that affect our market places, communities, and countries.

  • [1]PEST analysis (‘Political, Economic, Social and Technological analysis’) describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing market research, and gives an overview of the different macroenvironmental factors that the company (sales team / person) has to take into consideration. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations.
  • The PEST model has now evolved to include environmental/ecological, legal, regulatory, and demographic factors which has encouraged widespread use of an updated version of the PEST framework: STEER analysis which systematically considers Sociocultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors.

pest-analysisYou only have to think of the impact of the recent Federal Budget to see how easily people can be affected by these factors and how it can change their decision making processes.

Salespeople and sales leadership team have to contend with these PEST and/or STEER influences on a daily basis and still work out what they can control and influence so they can drive sales growth and opportunity.

The challenge is how do we factor these things into our own world and not get swept away by them in torrents of worry and concern because we cannot control them directly.

How can we still control our sales destiny in a manner that accommodates uncertainty?

First we need to prioritise and focus on those things we have direct control over and learn not to focus too heavily on things that we have indirect control over.

Secondly, we need to completely let go of the concerns we have around things that we have no control over. This is not so easy if you are worried about big things like the state of the economy, environment, world peace, etc. In this instance we have to tell ourselves that one person alone cannot fix all these things. But you are not without power here.

Go Local

What we can do instead is go ‘local’ and look at what we can do on a smaller scale which brings us back to what we can control and influence. So you do not have to abandon your goals and desires to save the whales, clean up the environment, help the poor, etc. you can always do something ‘local’ every day and affect change. The same is with your sales world. You can always affect change if you wish to do so. The idea is to affect positive change that helps people and things be better. That tends to draw more good things than bad.

In other words, even in times of uncertainty there are many things we can still control and influence. By helping ourselves to increase our circle of ‘local’ control and influence we can in turn reduce the circle of concern and worry that often lies outside of our control. 

You are never without power to do something good for yourself and others. It’s up to you to choose what and when.

 Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett