Why It’s Not the Land. It’s the Man (or Woman).

By S. Anthony Iannarino

One salesperson has a territory. They complain about that territory. They argue (endlessly) that there aren’t enough targets. They grumble that there are too few prospective dream clients. They bitch and moan that the competition is too tough; there’s an old boys network that is impenetrable to outsiders.

Then, a new salesperson is assigned to that same territory. Within weeks they have opportunities. Within months they are booking business. And within the year the new salesperson has developed the territory and makes the top 20% of salespeople.

It’s Not a Lack of Targets. It’s a Lack of Something Else

There is nothing that does more to damage a salesperson’s results than their belief system.

Sometimes the poor belief starts innocently enough. The salesperson is asked about their results and they start making excuses. They rationalize their poor performance. The problem isn’t theirs; it’s something else. It couldn’t be them. It couldn’t be their efforts—or lack thereof.

Repeated statements that the territory is to blame start to sound feasible. Comparisons with other territories are used to prove that another salesperson has better results because they have a better territory.

If we lie to ourselves long enough and frequently enough, we begin to believe our own lies. Our lies, to us, become truth.

When a salesperson believes that the fault lies with the territory, they behave in accordance with that belief and rationalize away their failure. You never improve until you face the fact that only you are responsible for your results.

This is why a new salesperson with a healthier set of beliefs makes something out of the same territory in short order.

What Else Is Missing

The other major difference between the salesperson that complains about their territory and the salesperson that works the territory to great effect is the effort that they make. Almost every time, it’s the prospecting effort that’s the difference.

The salesperson that complains of the territory doesn’t work the territory. They don’t prospect, and they stay away from their competitor’s strongholds, believing that they cannot be won. They don’t take the actions that they need to take to produce the results, and instead spend their time trying to justify their failures.

The salesperson that produces results with that very same territory works the territory hard. They dig in and prospect. They embrace cold calling like it’s a moral obligation. They believe there are prospects for them, and they believe they can win. So, they act accordingly and pick up the telephone. They call on their competitor’s stronghold clients and, lo and behold, they find some receptive and dissatisfied dream clients.

It’s not the land that is to blame for poor results. It’s the man. Or woman. This is why the same territory for a poor producer becomes a producing, enviable territory for another salesperson. Like Earl Nightingale used to say: “If you neighbor’s grass is greener, maybe he is working harder at it than you are.”

Questions

Why is a salesperson’s territory unlikely to be their real problem?

Do you have known, targeted dream clients that are difficult to penetrate or obtain? How many of your known targets would you need to win to make your number?

Which is more important to making your number, the territory or your prospecting effort?

 

Why is that some salespeople fail in a territory that another salesperson develops and uses to become a top 20-percenter?