The surprising power of becoming a decision-maker
In sales, one of your primary responsibilities is to “close” business.
I used to think you were supposed to use some tricks or something to get buyers to close.
Then I had a breakthrough. Closing business isn’t about tricks. It’s about helping buyers make a good decision, even if that decision doesn’t involve your solution.
Closing business is about leading. It’s about helping people make good decisions.
But I struggled with that, because in my own personal life I had been indecisive up until’ that point.
I used to struggle mightily with decisions. I’d turn something over in my mind until’ I was confused. Then I’d ask everyone I knew what they thought. Then I’d get more confused. Paralysis from analysis, as they say.
As someone who used to struggle making decisions, but has grown to enjoy them, here are some ideas and principles that have helped me.
There’s more to this so perhaps this can be turned into a longer post one day:
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To become a decision-maker, be a Decision-Maker. I had to change my view of myself, and start viewing myself as a decision-maker. To start taking ownership. Decision-makers make decisions.
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It takes practice. Lower the bar and run experiments. No one was born a great decision-maker. Don’t be afraid of failure. You won’t become a strong decision-maker without practice.
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11th Hightower Rule – there are 13 ways of doing anything, 11 of them will work. Just pick one and go for it. “When failure is expensive, plan carefully. When failure is cheap, act quickly.”
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The 80/20 rule – you’ll know 80% of the information pretty quickly. The last 20% might not be critical and might take you an inordinate amount of time to discover. Get comfortable making most decisions on 80% of the information. There will always be more information you could gather, but knowing when to say “enough is enough” is a learned skill.
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Glass balls vs. rubber balls. Life is like juggling. Some of the balls are glass and if you drop them they’ll shatter (like your marriage). But most of the balls are actually rubber balls. They’ll bounce back if you drop them. These are things like job, house, vehicles, and many of the other things in life. Prioritize the glass balls and don’t worry as much about the rubber balls.
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Get brave. Paralysis from analysis is often a symptom of fear, and fear is the opposite of faith and love. If you believe in a higher power, faith doesn’t mean waiting for lightning to strike. It often means stepping out into uncertainty.
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Act on the clarity you have. If there is clarity, even a tiny sliver of clarity, grab onto that. Hold onto it. I’ve found that acting on a small amount of clarity leads to more clarity.
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A decision not to make a decision IS a decision! It’s ok not to make a decision, but it’s not OK to waffle in uncertainty. Decide not to decide. But decide.
“When failure is expensive, plan carefully. When failure is cheap, act quickly.”
– James Clear
These are some ideas and principles that have helped me move from “indecisive” to “decisive” in my life. It takes practice to make good, wise decisions.
As the Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle said, “Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you’ll see farther.”
What I’ve found though is that not only has it helped me make better decisions, but I’ve become very comfortable helping my clients make decisions. Sometimes that means pointing them to another solution that is better suited to their needs. As a result, my clients trust me more and I’ve been able to close more business.
You are a decision-maker. Everyone is, in some capacity. What tools, frameworks, or principles have you found helpful in becoming a better decision-maker?
