We are each responsible for our own success (or failures). Winning at a career in sales in no exception. To ensure a win, you must take a proactive approach. Prevention of failure is an important part of that process. If you find yourself saying,"I'm not cut out for sales",..."I'm not pushy enough", "I hate cold calling", "I can't take the rejection", then you are heading down the wrong path.

Here are 18.5 recurring characteristics and traits of people who thought they could hit a home run in a sales career. But struck out in their attempts where many of them with their bat on their shoulder-failing to swing at the ball (or chance) as it passed them by for a called third strike.

How many of these apply to you?

1. You don't believe in yourself. If you don't think you can do it, then who will?

2. You don't believe in your products. Failure to believe that your products or services is the best will show. Lack of conviction is evident to a buyer and manifests itself in low sales numbers.

3. Failure to set and achieve goals. Failure to plan. Failure to define and achieve specific long-term (what you want) and short-term (how your going to get there) goals.

4. You'r lazy ("slacker") or just not prepared to make the sale. Your self-motivation and preparation are the lifeblood of your outreach. You must be eager and ready to sell, or you won't.

5. Failure to understand how to accept rejection. They're not rejecting you, they're rejecting the offer you're making them.

6. Failure to master the total knowledge of your product. (failure to know your product cold) Total product knowledge gives you the mental freedom to concentrate on selling.

7. Failure to learn and execute the fundamentals of sales. Read, listen to cd's, attend seminars, and practice what you've just learned. Everything you need to know about sales has already been written or spoken. Learn something new everyday.

8. Failure to understand the customer and meet their needs. Failure to question and listen to the prospect and uncover their needs.

9. Failure to overcome objections. This is a complex issue. You are not listening to the prospect, you are not thinking in terms of solutions, you are not able to create the confidence and trust suitable enough to cause (effect) a sale. People aren't afraid of failure, they just don't know how to get to success.

10. Can't cope with change. Part of sales is change. Change in products, tactics, and markets. Roll with it to succeed. Fight it and fail.

11. Can't follow rules. Salespeople often thinks rules are made for others. Think again. Broken rules will only get you to "no sales".

12. Can't get along with others. (co-workers and customers) Sales is never a solo effort. You must be a team player with your co-workers and partner with your customers.

13. Too damn greedy. Selling for commissions instead of helping customers. Raping a customer just to get that big paycheck. Selling a product or program that will not benefit them in the long run. Meeting "your" financial needs rather then theirs. "Loser".

14. Failure to deliver what you promised. Failure to do what you say you're going to do, either for your company or your customer, is a disaster from which you may never recover. If you do it often, the word gets out about you.

15. Failure to establish long-term relationships. Trying to make commissions leads to failure through insincerity, failure by lack of service, failure to be motivated by anything but money.

16. Failure to understand that hard work makes luck. Take a close look at the people you think are lucky. They put years of hard work to create that luck. You can be just as lucky when you put in the time and hard work.

17. Blaming others when the fault or responsibility is yours. Accepting responsibility is the point of succeeding at anything. Doing something about it is the criterion. Execution is the reward not the money-money is just the product of perfect execution.

18. Lack of persistance. You are willing to take no for an answer and just accept it without a fight. You are unable to motivate the prospect to act, or are willing to persist through the exposures it takes to make the sale.

18.5 Failure to establish and maintain a positive attitude. The first rule of life.

Failure is not about insecurity. It's about lack of execution. There's no such thing as a total failure. "Failure is an event, not a person." Zig Ziglar

There are degrees of failing. Here are 4.5 of them. What degree are you?

1. Failing to do your best.

2. Failing to learn.

3. Failing to accept responsibility.

4. Failing to meet or pre-set goals.

4.5 Failing to have a positive attitude.

If you are weak in any one of the above 18.5,it is urgent that you make a change as soon as possible. Sales weaknesses are like cancer-mostly self-inflicted due to bad habits and neglect, easy to uncover, hard to cure-but not impossible. It takes outside help and regular treatments to maintain excellent sales health.

"The Ultimate Sales Resource"-The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer