Marjorie Dudley

[Originally sent out on 11/4/24 via email to 100-ish clients and business partners]

Let’s start with first things first: we can’t change–or prevent–that which we don’t acknowledge. So here we go!

This time of year, after Halloween, right about the time sales people have just been getting some momentum following the back-to-school chaos, I start to hear a cancerous little epithet trickle in. Maybe you have heard it, too… It sounds something like this: Everybody wants to meet after the holidays… 😭😭😭

I call it The Coast.

The Coast is not a reality, it’s a mindset. Sure, as with any rational-LIES-ation, there are some underlying truths to this mindset. But how we know it’s a mindset and NOT a reality is it doesn’t universally affect everyone. Every year we see sales people in every industry have their best months in November, December and January. Which, if we are dissecting that, must mean that their prospects surely are holding meetings, making decisions, spending money, and taking action in spite of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, the New Year, school breaks, family travel, weather and whatever other excuses we want to name.

The Coast is just a way we can justify not controlling our controllables. It’s a way we can condone our own excuses by placing the blame on other exogenous factors, other people’s decisions. In short, it’s a cop out.

Now, I am not holier than thou; I, too, have made myself a victim of The Coast before. And regretted it. I have finished the year feeling small, feeling guilty about what I didn’t do, and even feeling righteously justified at times because “it wasn’t my fault.” But I have also finished proud, accomplished, and leaving 100% of my best in the remaining working days of the year. And it doesn’t take a genius to accurately guess which one was preferable.

Now you may be saying, “Marjorie, you are preaching to the choir… I know this, but how do I get my people to do it?!”

You’re not wrong, that is the more challenging bit. But, I will offer you some conversation starters to address what you may already be noticing, or even better, to prevent it from happening in the first place. Help your team:

🌽See that an action lag today is a production lag tomorrow; said differently: don’t sabotage your January harvest by delaying the November/December seed planting

🚫Avoid absolutist words like always/never/nobody/everybody; E.g.: “Nobody is meeting this time of year” or “Everybody is on vacation”.

📅 See that 6 weeks of mentally coasting, even at 50% is 5% reduction in time dedicated to annual productivity; are you willing to throw away 3 (or more) weeks of your year because of that everyone else is–or isn’t–doing?

🧮Have your team do the numbers: Ideal # Meetings x Closing % x Dollars in their pocket x 6 weeks (typical Holiday coast duration) vs Coasting # Meetings x Closing % x Dollars in their pocket x 6 weeks.

🧠 Remember what they said that they wanted to accomplish this year and what they said they were willing to do weekly to accomplish that goal; even if they can’t make the annual goal, can they finish strong by hitting the weekly or monthly goal, or by staying true to the activity commitment?

🤗Articulate how they want to feel on December 31st? Let them think about it; encourage them to write it down; create a dialog in your next team meeting.

📖 Book recommendation: The Common Denominator of Success by Albert Gray 📖

While this book is really not much more than a 30-page pamphlet, I consider it one of the most highly valued pieces ever written. Ever. It holds truths that are just as potent today as they were when produced nearly 100 years ago. The secret of success is doing things that failures don’t like to do, and having a vision clear enough and strong enough to keep you driven to doing them even when it might be more convenient to let up. It is for that reason, I hope every leader and sales professional reads this before Thanksgiving, to remind themselves of the two paths before them: The Coast, a path filled with comfort today and regret tomorrow; or The Consistent, a path filled with pride and payoff down the road in exchange for a little discomfort in the present.

📔 The Common Denominator of Success: a free gift  📔

If you would like a free copy of The Common Denominator of Success, email me back letting me know if you would like a digital copy or a printed copy (if printed, confirm your best address for snail mail).

🏇I have a handful of spots available if you would like a workshop to help your team cross that finish line running strong🏇 Just reply to this or call me.