Process vs. Luck

Luck can be defined as things that can’t be controlled. Sometimes, the results are good – known as good luck. Sometimes bad – that’s right, it’s called bad luck. Either way, luck can play a major role in our sales results.

When was the last time a customer came in to buy and they were someone you neither knew nor had done business with in the past? After a brief discussion they decide they want to buy. This is good luck. (And how many of us go to our Manager and admit that the order is really just good luck?!). Or, sometimes the deal you’ve been working on for what seems like ages, suddenly falls apart with no explanation given. This is bad luck. Hopefully, the good and the bad luck even out through our long and illustrious Sales career. In talking to Sellers, I’m told that approximately 30% of what they generate is a function of good luck – inheriting a good territory, a competitor's screw-up, etc. Nice work if you can get it, indeed.

The vast majority of Sales Managers emphasize results instead of the process. The danger of this can lead to misjudging a Seller’s skill-set. For you golfers, this is the equivalent of hitting a shot dead-right, have it hit off a house, then a 1958 Chevrolet and plop down eight feet from the pin!

I think that Managers and Sellers put too much emphasis on the results and not enough on the process. When Tom Lehman was appointed to Captain the Ryder Cup Team he sought out the legendary John Wooden for advice on how to build a winning team. Wooden’s advice – focus on the process and the results will follow.