Success

Talent, positioning, skill, relationships, focus and timing create success. Why would someone choose a product, service, leadership style, process or idea over that of the competition? Most of us have learned that people don’t choose what’s best; they choose what they are most comfortable with, whether or not it’s the best. But how do we create that magical mix of the above (talent, positioning, skill, relationships, focus and timing) for our own special recipe of success?

The first step is to understand and believe in the foundation—basics that we may have forgotten or deemed irrelevant because of our personal experiences.

A few basic truths about business

  1. People are most likely to follow and perform well with leaders who make them feel important.
  2. People are most likely to buy from salespeople who listen more than they talk.
  3. People are most likely to agree with people who do not make them feel wrong.
  4. People are most likely to value what they helped to create.
  5. People are most likely to buy into ideas they can understand quickly.
  6. People are most likely to abandon a process that is too complex, even if it works.

Our research into what the most successful have in common showed that what we perceive as the power of personality, a gift of gab, superior intellect and a clairvoyant-like intuition about people and their needs is actually a repeatable process that can be taught, maintained and perfected.

The problem

Those of us who do it naturally don’t see the repeatable process and therefore can’t teach it. Those who do it occasionally don’t do it naturally and can’t repeat it enough to have long-term success. And, unfortunately, those who dispute the power of the basics will never fully grasp the importance of subtle differences and specific tools that will consistently get them preferred.

It seems the truth about success is not for everyone. Many people struggle because they focus on making their efforts seem more valuable to others. Hiding in their complexity and exceptions to the rules, they move away from success.

There’s good news: our research showed that with a little guidance (OK, in some cases a lot of guidance), making people comfortable enough to choose you or what you have to offer is achievable for everyone. And that, I think, is the ultimate truth about success.