The action imperative

Liz Wendling //April 9, 2013//

The action imperative

Liz Wendling //April 9, 2013//

Salespeople and business owners who are ambitious, productive and committed have one significant trait in common: They take action. They don’t lose sight of their goals. They take the steps required to achieve those goals. Taking action means doing instead of thinking and procrastinating. To be productive and successful, you must train yourself to take action, even when it is difficult.

Many salespeople who have the talent to close more sales and the potential to generate a higher income. Yet that potential never materializes.

Here’s what happens instead. They think about the work they have to do and the action required to transform that potential into reality. They hit the wall and come to a screeching halt. They get revved up about what it would be like to actually live their dreams and earn the income they desire. Nothing happens because when the rubber meets the road they can’t bring themselves to do the one and only thing that transforms potential into reality. They can’t bring themselves to take action. They talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.

When it comes to goals and to-do items, you might find yourself stuck in the thinking and planning phases. If you don’t get into action, you’re wasting your time. How can you get into a sustainable mode of direct forward action without feeling like you have to torture yourself? To get from thinking about what you want to actually making it happen takes one bold move. Take your finger off the pause button of your life and business.

You can’t produce different results until you generate positive actions. People make things happen by taking clear and calculated steps. It’s easy to over-think your next move, to debate options too long, to linger with ideas, and to wait for ideal conditions. Some people spend their entire lives this way. You can prepare all day long, but if you never make it to the field and actually start using the skills you’ve acquired your chances of succeeding are slim to none.

Successful sales people and business owners take action and analyze the result against their desired outcome. Plans without action are worthless. Great sales people and smart business owners set a goal, leap into action, analyze the results and measure the outcome. If the outcome is not satisfactory they change course, alter the strategy and take persistent action until the results are produced.

It’s not what you know, thought about or even planned out that ultimately brings success; rather it’s the actions you took that brought about success. The successful people I know share a strategic quality—they get things done. This ability overrides intelligence, talent and connections in determining the money they earn and the speed of their success. They take positive action.

Execution has the potential to deliver success. Actions produce results. Thinking and planning alone yield zero results.  Anyone can think – but not everyone will act.

Actions speak louder than words. Taking action – instead of talking about taking action – yields results.