Maybe you’ve heard the old saying “Failure is an event, not a person.” That statement is half right. Failure is an event AND a person.

The bigger statements are: Failure is avoidable. Failure is a lesson — a hard one.

No one goes into an event, a business or a sales call expecting to fail, or wanting to fail. Yet failure occurs time after time.

There’s another old saying: Learn from your mistakes.

And another old saying: You only fail when you quit.

Maybe there’s some validity to them. But, in my eyes, not much.

I read an article and saw a book on the topic of “self-sabotage.” What a bunch of bull. It’s not self-sabotage; no one in their right mind will stop themself on purpose. It’s stupidity or mediocrity that stops you.

It’s lack of preparation, lack of execution, lack of experience. It’s being nervous or afraid to win. It’s getting too conservative when it’s time to claim victory.

Failure is never simple. It’s usually a series of events or circumstances.

Here are 17.5 reasons failure occurs:

1. Self-defeatism. Telling yourself why it won’t happen, not why it will.

2. Lack of belief in company, product or yourself. If you don’t believe, you can’t convince others to believe in you.

3. Limited self-image. Hoping they like you, because you don’t like yourself enough to create your own self-confidence

4. Laziness. You lack the personal sense of urgency needed to create it in others.

5. Failure to prepare. This is most evident in the presentation phase of persuading or trying to get your way.

6. Failure to do your homework. You must acquire knowledge about how your customer or prospect will benefit and profit from your product or service.

7. Procrastination. Putting off the homework it takes to be a winner — both personally and in terms of the customer.

8. Poor timing. Trying to be there at the wrong time

9. Saying the wrong thing. About the competition, about your company, about your product and about yourself.

10. Showing greed (money ahead of help). Trying too hard to close the sale rather than trying to help the customer profit or benefit.

11. Insincerity. Most salespeople never get this one, because they think they can “get over.”

12. Inability to be perceived as trustworthy. Trust is something that is earned through likability and believability.

13. Failure to work your butt off. Many seasoned salespeople become complacent and get outhustled by a younger, more aggressive salesperson.

14. Failure to follow your own plan. Salespeople tend to seek the easy way and the fast way rather than the sure way. Cutting corners almost always results in loss of business.

15. Trying to do everything yourself. You have a team of people, a boss and an army of customers all willing to help you. The only way to get their help is to ask for it. It’s a sign of strength.

16. Making excuses rather than making sales. Excuses are not an actual reason for failure; they’re the scapegoat. Here are a few examples: Blaming your situation — the weather, the season, the economy, your own company. In short, anything but your inadequacies. Blaming others – your customer, your boss, your fellow salespeople, the competition, and anyone else you can pin the tag on, other than the person you see in the mirror. Once you own up to the process of succeeding or failing, you’ve started on the road to responsibility.

17. Failure to do your best. Second best is first loser in sales. Best requires commitment, focus and dedication.

17.5. Not loving what you do. Nothing ensures failure more than a lack of passion for what you do or a lack of passion for what you sell.

The only good thing about failure is that it’s an option. Failure to do your best is making a choice – the same with any of the other items numbered above. I numbered them for your excuse-making pleasure. To make it easier to tell others why you failed.

If you want to know ONE way to beat failure, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the word OUTCOME in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com.

© 2006 Jeffrey H. Gitomer