Lets face it, not everyone is cut out for success, just like not everyone is cut out to be a teacher, policeman, parent or CEO. After 25 years of working with businesses, entrepreneurs, sales people and CEOs, I have discovered that there are traits that make people prone to failure.
1) Hate being told no. I have yet to meet anyone that actually likes being told not, but if you tend to have a highly emotional response to be being told no and it sticks with you for days, success will be out of reach. In fact, planet earth will be unpleasant for you because you will be told 'no' by lots of people in many ways and many times. It is the meaning that you place on the 'no' that really is effecting you. Your ability to not be negatively impacted and then to turn a 'no' into 'yes' will be critical to creating success.
2) Unwilling to ask for a decision. Most people believe they can delegate this to others trying to avoid rejection and failure. Then they try to hire others to handle this for them because they haven't developed the discipline of asking for a decision. If you are unwilling to ask for a decision you will only get the leftovers.
3) Believe everything. If you are one of those people that believe everything someone says to you is true, and that what people say is what they will do, your success is at risk. People will say many things to you that are almost meaningless; we aren't loaning money, we are on a budget, we aren't buying, we are going to wait until, I have to talk to my wife, and on and on. If you are not able to selectively listen, sorry, you won't make it.
4) Easily sold on another's stories. If you happen to be one of those personality types that is gullible and unable to maintain and communicate your conviction, you will fail. You are stuck in some kind of reverse boomerang universe where you intend to convince another of your ideas and end up buying their story instead.
5) Unable to get personal. If you hate asking questions and feel like asking questions is getting 'too personal' or 'prying' into someone's business, you will not make it. "What is your income", "who is the decision maker","why can't you do this", are questions you will have to learn to asked.
6) Unwilling to reach out of your comfort zone. If you are unwilling to reach out to people that are better connected than you, success will always be out of reach. While the people you know will be important, it is probably the people you have not yet connected with that can most help you. This will require you to get out of your comfort zone and mix it up with people you don't yet know.
7) Believe lowest price wins. If you believe the lowest price is the reason people buy things, you will always find yourself suffering with cash flow and should become a clerk at WalMart or a waiter in a restaurant. 99.9% of all products on this planet can be replaced by cheaper alternatives. Most of the things that are purchased are not necessary to have, so if a person wanted the lowest price, the thing to do would be to not buy it at all. Price is actually a myth and not the reason people buy anything. I wrote an entire book on this one concept.
8) Believe persistence and pressure is a bad thing. If you are one of those people that was convinced as a child by your parents, teachers, and environment that getting your way is a bad thing, then you should just throw away the success idea. A diamond is only coal until the right amount of pressure is applied for the right amount of time. People normally do not make decisions without someone insisting on it. If you despise pressure or persistence you will find it taking forever to get your business working.
9) Believe selling is a negative thing. Even one small dose of this type of thinking will kill your chances of making it. Your success depends on this one ability probably more than any other single thing. Nothing happens without selling. If you think selling is wrong, unethical or something that someone else needs to do, you will be crushed, especially in this economy. Great success always has at its core leadership that is passionate and committed to selling.
10) Believe the economy is the problem. The economy is problematic, it is not the problem! Success is created over time so during any run at success you will experience all types of economies. The person that makes the economy the variable will become a victim to economic conditions at some point. Successful people can create success in any economy and know how to use all types of economies to flourish in.
Success is not for everyone, just those who are willing to do what it takes to get it. Most people just want it and are not willing to train and prepare for it. If you are one of those people that thinks they are going to create success just because you have a good idea and are unwilling to train, invest and prepare for it, I assure you that you will flounder. Everyone has an idea most people are not willing to develop their skills to the point that they can make that idea a reality! On the way to success you will be plagued with competitive threats, industry changes, challenging economies and will find yourself at risk. The average worker reads less than one book a year and then wonders why they don't make it!
To ensure you are successful avoid the traits of failure and make a dedicated commitment to learning everything you can about selling. Selling isn't a job, but a requirement for creating the success you want. Sales training, sales motivation, daily sales meeting and the development of new sales skills will assist you in your success more than anything else.
Grant Cardone is a NY Times Best Selling Author and Sales Training Expert.