“We should” vs. “We can”

During my daily discussions with salespeople around the world, we have been talking about the challenges they have been facing due to global supply chain issues, which means that they need to sell under extraordinary conditions regarding the delivery lead times, which are extremely long compared to pre-Covid period.

In the last twelve months, I observed two main reactions. The first one is what I call the “we should” people. Those people do not accept the current situation and get very upset when talking about it. Additionally, they take it on their shoulders while talking to their customers and put their credibility at risk. I can hear them making sentences starting with “we should” a lot. Finally, they are the salespeople who consider those long delivery lead times unacceptable and refuse to discuss other commercial targets such as price, pipeline, lost deals, etc. They would almost stop visiting new customers until the current situation is fixed. And they go home frustrated.

I call the second group the “we can” people. They are the ones who accept (not necessarily approve) the current situation, which causes longer delivery lead times. The question they have got in their mind is, “ How do I keep operating most effectively?” They know that the situation is not easy, and differently than the “we should people,” they do not take it on their shoulders. They know that it is beyond their control and focus on what they can control. They start their sentences more with “we can”. Therefore, they keep prospecting, visiting new customers, and running after their numbers. They are the ones who can talk to their customers about the long delivery lead times relatively more straightforward because they can analyze the situation as an external person, or observer.

Switching from one call to another reminded me of the “control questions” of Tim Gallwey in his The Inner Game methodology, where he recommends asking three questions:

1. What don’t you control in this situation?
2. What are you currently trying to control?
3. What could you control at the present moment that you are not controlling?

Understanding what you can and cannot control helps you see the situation from a distance. However, understanding what you could control that you are not controlling at the present moment urges you to take immediate action. 

For example, you cannot control the additional delays on a planned delivery to a critical customer. On the other hand, you can control how you will communicate with this customer; you can also control, in case they cancel their order, how to find new customers to replace this particular customer. Even if it is not easy, as you consider it under your control, you will not hesitate to take action. More importantly, you will always go home with a sense of achievement.

So, it is up to you to decide… Are you more a “we should” salesperson or “we can” salesperson?

And remember, it is under your control to choose😊