Sandler Rule #1: You Have to Learn to Fail to Win

Start by asking yourself the following question, "Have you ever lost a sale & felt like a personal failure?" Failure is part of the human condition. Everybody fails at something. People who achieve a great deal fail at many things. It's important that we remember:  

• It's OK to fail.
• You as a person are not a failure.
• There is the REAL - you vs. the ROLE - you.

You can choose to regard failures as negative experiences - defeats, losses, setback. Or you can choose to regard failures as positive learn what not to do, what needs to be changed, and what needs to be fixed. Failure can accelerate your success. If and only if you take the time to extract clear lessons from your failures, and then apply those lessons to your next endeavor.

Recognizing failure as a potential positive experience gives you a new freedom- the freedom to try new thing, be more creative, and stretch outside your comfort zone. If you don't achieve the results you seek, ask yourself, "What did I learn from this?"

Of course, accepting this concept intellectually is one thing. Dealing with failure emotionally is another matter entirely. Before you can learn from your failures, you must learn to fail. And, in order to do that, you must understand failure and put it in its proper perspective.

When you fail to accomplish something, you're not a failure. You did not fail. Instead, it was your attempt, your action plan, strategy, or technique  that failed. There is a difference between the real you and the role you.

Real You:
The real you is defined by your self identity and your sense of self-worth.
Role You:
The role you is defined by your performance in a role - As a sister, spouse, parent, little league coach, or salesperson.

You must learn not to take role failures personally. An unsuccessful attempt to obtain an appointment or close a sale is just that- an unsuccessful attempt. It has nothing to do with your personal worth. Your personal worth is still intact! If there is a lesson to be learned from the failed attempt, identify it and apply it to subsequent attempts.

You will know when you have learned to fail in a way that supports winning - as opposed to failing in a way that you take personally- because you will start thinking about "failure" differently. When you begin to look forward to the lessons from "failures," because you know those lesson will lead you to future "wins," you will be on the right track.

Doug Cohen of Summit Performance brings Sandler Training to Plantation, Florida

Many business owners and leaders believe that “training doesn’t work.”  And since many of them regard training as a single event, designed as a short-term quick fix––they are right––that training doesn’t work.

Sandler training does work, because our training is built on the concept of incremental growth and change over time—supported by repetition, reinforcement, coaching and accountability.  We know that achieving lasting behavioral change and mastering new skills does not occur at a one-day seminar, or overnight.

We also know that people are not likely to consistently implement a particular strategy or tactic, regardless of how effective it is, unless it’s part of an overall behavioral plan. And, they are not likely to implement a plan unless it is supported by the appropriate attitude and outlook. Therefore, Sandler training addresses all three areas necessary for success—attitude, behavior and technique.

About Doug Cohen
Doug Cohen is President of Summit Performance Training, an authorized Sandler Training center serving the south Florida area. Doug combines real-life problem-solving experience, with coaching and communication, to provide solutions to the day-to day challenges faced by sales people, sales managers, and customer service professionals.

Doug works closely with individuals and companies on a myriad of sales-related issues, including:

• Sales Training
• Management & Leadership Training
• Executive Coaching
• Keynote Speakers
• Assessments/Benchmarks
• Systems/Process Implementation
• Customer Service Training
• Goal Setting
• Prospecting and Lead Acquisition

Specifically, Doug’s expertise can be leveraged to help sales professionals in any industry learn and implement a proven selling system that focuses not just on sales techniques, but on attitudes and reinforcement.  Sandler Training is an ongoing development program grounded in proven theories, hard skills, powerful techniques, and workable strategies that sales professionals can use on every call, with every prospect…for the rest of their lives.

Doug volunteers for Junior Achievement, a national organization whose vision is to inspire young people to succeed in a global economy.  Doug has taught courses to middle and high school students in the areas of economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship. He holds an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University and a B.S. in Broadcast Communications from the University of Florida.

If you would like to know the TRUTH about what might be secretly wrecking your business or to request more information click here: http://www.summitperformance.sandler.com/requestinfo