Rising Above the Status Quo in Business by Crushing Mediocrity
Mediocrity, in many ways, has become the new norm in business as we’ve lowered standards, and been overcome by a more casual culture. These tendencies, however, can be detrimental to success. Sticking with the status quo only serves to limit salespeople and their potential. Lisa Copeland, interviewed by John Golden, discusses crushing mediocrity to succeed in business.
This expert sales interview explores:
- Defining mediocrity in sales
- The importance of having a purpose
- How to exit your comfort zone
What is Mediocrity?
“Mediocrity, to me, is what is ruining America, and the business culture around the world,” said Copeland. “It isn’t even just about not doing well or failing, it’s about living in the middle and not wanting to go the extra step to reach the greatest heights we can reach.” It’s making a decision to go with the safe option, and avoid putting yourself out there. Many people look at the bumps along the road to success and make the choice to stick with the safe option. But that is the status quo. That is mediocrity.
Crushing Mediocrity with Purpose:
Copeland discusses 10 tried and true principals in her book, Crushing Mediocrity: 10 Ways to Rise Above the Status Quo. The most significant of these principals is having a purpose. If you don’t know why you are doing what you’re doing, other people don’t either. “My purpose was to revolutionize the auto industry. I wasn’t just going to do it to do it, it was going to be a lot of work, but at that point in my life and in my career, I knew it needed to be a purpose-driven business,” said Copeland. “It was going to matter. For me, it was empowering women consumers and it was empowering women minorities and millennials to stick their toe into the auto industry. I was willing to do the work and do whatever it took if it could help be a revolutionary in the industry.”
Exit Your Comfort Zone:
Danger is real. Fear is a choice. “Psychology today says that 96% of what we fear never materializes, and yet it rents so much space inside of our head,” said Copeland. “When we talk about getting out of the comfort zone, it can just mean that day one, you make the decision. Day two, you take the next step. You learn to fear less, not to be fearless.” Being fearless might be considered reckless, where you aren’t making important decisions or using intentionality in your choices. But to fear less, on the other hand, is to challenge yourself to take one step that you wouldn’t have taken the day before. “Success isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would do it,” said Copeland. Exiting your comfort zone, and taking small steps towards fearing less, will bring you closer to the success you want to achieve.
About our Host:
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
Comments