Good morning Reader,

Thanks to those who voted.

You unanimously decided you wanted the email to stay with Saturday mornings by a number of 9 to 1 and so we will carry on.

Anyone want to guess how many Saturdays in a row I have consistently sent an email out?

It's a big number. I haven’t missed one for several years now! I am often asked:

• How do you make the time to write the email?; and
• How do you come up with ideas to talk about?

The first part is easy. It's now a habit and one I can’t let go of. Call it an addiction if you want.

I just know that I have to make the time. I have become accountable to myself on this (more to follow on accountability below) and even if I have to stay up until midnight on Friday, I will get it done.

The second part is trickier. I am always keen to get questions or suggestions from readers on the challenges they face when it comes to selling high-value services. Which of these topics would you want more ideas on?

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I know after doing it for so long, I have built accountability to myself for my Saturday email but who are you Accountable to for achieving your sales and business goals?

Let me share a story with you about accountability.

On September 1st, Tyson Anthony, one of my Team Leaders at Growth Resourcing suggested a challenge to a few of us in the business.

Could we each commit to doing just 60 press-ups a day to build our strength and fitness?

8 people said they were in.

All they had to do was confirm back in the group when the 60 were completed each day. If you missed one day, you were out.

A few people fell by the wayside early but fast forward 28 days and here 6 of us are still doing daily press-ups.

The challenge has evolved slightly. We are up to 80 press-ups and 20 squats and sit-ups per day now but nearly a month on and no one is showing any signs of stopping.

We have an Accountability group and we have each become accountable for achieving the task (of press-ups per day) to stay in the group. If you need evidence, here it is:

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What are the results so far?

1. Doing them has got easier
2. My arms have got stronger
3. I feel fitter
4. A habit has formed

By making myself accountable to this group, I have started to ingrain the habit.

Even on days when I have been travelling or where I felt like I didn’t want to do it, I knew in my mind that I was accountable to others in the group and I didn’t want to miss out.

So my question to you is simple.

Who are you accountable to for what you want to achieve?

The reality is that whilst we all have personal motivations and drivers to achieve goals, those feelings can wain in difficult times. It’s easy when we don’t have anything but the mirror to answer to, to leave it for another day and we all know that when habits are broken, it can be a slippery slope.

So let me ask you the question again.

Who are you accountable to for what you want to achieve?

I don’t know what it is that you want to achieve.

It might be a revenue target

It might be a number of customers

It might be a goal to save a certain amount of money

Whatever the goal is, until you build the regular habit (and it takes 66 days to make a habit so ingrained in you that it becomes part of normal life) you are susceptible to failing.

So, find someone or a group to become accountable to. It could be a group of colleagues in your company or it could be you and some friends combing together to achieve something. Steven Bartlett in his DOAC podcast talks about having a Group for Gym Attendance with his friends that works and studies have shown when we put ourselves in groups with others, we increase our chances of achieving a goal.

If achieving sales success is something you want, then a great starting point is trying to connect and meet with 3 new prospects per day. Want some accountability to do this? Join this group and commit every day with others that you will look to connect with just 3 new people every day.

If this isn't for you then go and find a method that works for you. But don’t underestimate the power and value of accountability to someone!

I have clients who work with me monthly as they want to be accountable for their own success and I hold them to account for achieving what they set out to.

So let me ask you the question one final time

Who are you accountable to for what you want to achieve?

If the answer to this is nobody or no one then you may be the outlier. You maybe that person that is so disciplined and determined to achieve a goal and who needs no one else to motivate them.

If so then Bravo! I applaud you for being that way. You are certainly in the top 3% of humans worldwide who can be so focused on achieving what they want.

If you are not in that camp then you have a choice.

• Do you let what you want to achieve become a fanciful dream; or
• Do you want to put in place some accountability that will motivate and drive you to achieve what you want?

I know for me with the press ups, I needed to join the group.

Maybe for you to achieve a Sales Target or Plan, you need some accountability. We are launching a new cohort for our Sales Plan course on October 8th and would love to have you join us if finishing 2024 strongly and achieving what you want is something you want to do!

Reach out here if it is.

Be accountable to someone.

It will increase your chances of success.

Wishing you all a brilliant week ahead.

Until next Saturday, keep smiling and stay focused on becoming a fly on the wall of the brain of your buyer.

James

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