Lessons Learned from Sales Failures
Today’s topic is one we often shy away from—learning from sales failures.
When I work with companies, I enjoy showing off my merit badges—it’s fun. But the real teaching moments come when I share my battle scars. The truth is, we learn more from our losses than from our wins. Yet, many people are afraid to admit that, afraid to fail. However, if you’re not failing, you’re not trying anything new. And if you’re not trying something new, chances are you’re not improving.
To truly grow, the first step is admitting your mistakes. If we don’t own the outcomes we’ve created, we’ll stay stuck in denial, unable to fix what went wrong. Experience is a tough but effective teacher, and as we navigate through life and our careers, we should always be looking for ways to improve.
Learning from Your Sales Failures
So, what’s the process? First, admit your mistake. Own the outcome you’ve created. Reflect on it, but don’t dwell. Once it’s in the past, let it go, but take the lesson with you. Nelson Mandela once said, “I never lose. I either win or I learn.” Adopting this mindset allows us to approach new challenges fiercely, always aiming for self-improvement. When we fail, it’s a one-time event—we won’t let it beat us twice. After acknowledging the failure and understanding where we went wrong, we fix it and move on.
In closing, I want to share something a customer of mine, Mark Hanna, introduced me to—a Jimmy Buffett song with a simple but powerful message: “Breathe in, breathe out, move on.” If we learn from our failures, own our outcomes, and commit to not repeating our mistakes, we can always follow Jimmy’s advice: breathe in, breathe out, and move on.
I hope this helps. Good luck and good selling!
From Jack Kasel, Sales Development Expert
Anthony Cole Training Group
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