Our country was and continues to be built because of those special people who are willing to take a risk. Many present day success stories are based on people who traveled here, arriving with nothing more than a dream in their heart and little or no financial resources to their name. Risk is the foundation of commerce in any free enterprise society. It’s often the case that the greater the risk, the greater the potential for both loss and reward. It would be nice to win in life without taking some risks but that is lottery mentality.
In business and professional selling there are several parts of our career that require risk in order for us to experience ultimate success. Some of the risks are small and in other instances they are huge. You will risk your time, sometimes driving for hours only to be stood up on an appointment. There will be instances when spending time planning, preparing and practicing is essential. Believing that the investment will give you a return, you will do whatever the job requires.
Occasionally it’s necessary to risk your own money. There’s nothing like digging deep into your own pocket to purchase a business directory with no guarantee of getting a return. Purchasing contact management software so you can make better use of your time with no assurances that it will make a difference is par for the course. Paying for books, training workshops and other materials to better yourself without being certain you will reap any financial reward takes guts but it separates you from those who think they should have these things handed to them by their employer.
You will risk your original ideas to provide solutions for your customers. You will bravely make suggestions to your company to improve upon current business practices. You may be taken advantage of or open yourself up to ridicule but it’s worth the risk of possible glory and the opportunity to contribute.
You risk massive disappointment when you pour your heartfelt emotions into a client or a sale that seems to be a sure thing. When you give it everything that you have, the possibility for let down always exists but that shouldn’t stop you. Risking embarrassment and public humiliation gets a little easier each time you stick your neck out. Daring to be different than the status quo knowing the discomfort that it may cause you and the looming possibility of failure, will mold you into a winner. Chancing being laughed at or criticized by those who don’t understand is part of the territory. Putting your pride on the line despite the fact that the odds that are against you.
Growing through each daring undertaking you will gain the necessary knowledge through each business experience to make more educated entrepreneurial moves in the future. Helen Keller said it best when she said, “Life is either a daring bold adventure, or it’s nothing at all.” Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Once you have the taste of victory, living the risk and reward life is the only way to go. You must have the vision to see the things that others can’t and the faith to take the chances that others won’t, knowing that not all risks will bear fruit but having the will to forge ahead in spite of the fact.
“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not something to be waited for, but something to be achieved.”
Marshall Northcott is a Corporate Sales Trainer, Professional Speaker and Author of Sales Insights, Volumes 1 and 2