Commitment is Demonstrated by Intentional Action
"Intent reveals desire; Action reveals commitment."
Dr. Steve Maraboli
Passion and hard work are necessary, but not sufficient to achieve the levels of success all sales leaders regardless of industry strive for. To reach an elevated level of success requires commitment to intentional actions that guide the day-to-day interactions between sales leaders and their team, as well as their internal and external stakeholders.
The commitment to a set of unique intentional actions is one of the biggest obstacles a business faces when trying to achieve desired sale growth. It is especially prevalent in small owner-lead organizations. Sales leaders in small businesses (which many times are the owner) have numerous competing demands for their time and attention. Without the sales leader’s commitment to a defined sales operating system, they and their teams almost always gravitate towards solving for the urgent, rather than staying focused on a set of intentional actions.
At Steven J Pike Sales Consulting we define commitment and intentional action as:
Commitment:
Identified in your strategy and planning documents, saying what you are going to do – to achieve results. Commitment lives in communication. Communication involves verbal and nonverbal interaction.
Intentional Actions:
Evidence of our commitment. Intentional actions are very specific about what actions and behaviors you are going to take, when you are going to take them, and how they will be measured.
Sales leaders oversee the what, who and how of their intentional actions through proactive sales management and operating systems. Action without intention can produce unintended results and/or consequences.
While Commitment lives in the outward declaration of words (strategy, vision, mission, business plans) that are not entirely in our control, the Intentional actions we take are inwardly focused, under our control and/or influence and are a confirmation of our commitment.
When sales leaders and their teams commit to being piloted by the successful implementation and execution on their unique intentional actions, they give themselves a better chance of achieving success in the ways that matter most.
Performance Diamonds
With over twenty-five years of sales leadership, I have developed a belief that as a sales leader you need to control what you can control, influence the things you cannot control, and if you are not controlling or influencing you are letting it happen. Do not be engaged in your business, be committed to it through the intentional actions you define.
Good things happen when sales teams are led by design, not by chance. I have developed a set of six sales performance factors that I call Performance Diamonds. Firms can use the Performance Diamonds to create a unique set of intentional actions that are under their control.
The six Performance Diamonds found in the diagram below are:
Growth Strategy
Sales Performance Management & Development
Strategic Sales Leadership
Sales Process & Planning
People Plan
Compensation & Rewards
The Performance Diamonds provide a common language to understand each other better about desired behaviors, actions, and outcomes. They allow sales leaders to lead the sales team by design – not by chance.
The Performance Diamonds are not intended to have an explicit order of implementation. Because each organization is unique, the Performance Diamonds were created intentionally to address the most important thing(s) first and can be built up through an iterative process.
Performance diamonds allow you to see your commitment (strategy/plans) as a possibility. They create the habit of acting on the important and provide awareness of the distractions that can scramble our good intentions.
If you want to learn more about how to create and implement your unique Performance Diamonds to demonstrate your Commitment through Intentional Action you can reach out to me at 952-239-9865 or email at info@StevenJPike.com
