We’ve all changed our mind at one point or another. Depending on the complexity of the situation, there’s a good chance you change your mind on a daily basis. Sometimes changing your mind can even save your career.

You may have changed your mind regarding a certain experience you had. For example, Mary, a client of mine, shared an experience she had regarding a sales call she went on. When Mary left the meeting with a prospect, she called me sounding very upset. After presenting her product to this prospect and following up with them a week later, the prospect decided to use another vender. She felt frustrated, upset, and dejected. She was ready to leave her sales position, feeling as if she failed and this wasn’t the career for her.

After talking with her about this sales call in more detail, it sounded as if there were some holes in Mary’s selling strategy that may have cost her the sale. I suggested that she look at this experience not as a failure but as an opportunity to learn and grow. As such, she changed her outlook. Mary felt better using this experience as an opportunity for continuous improvement. Together, we identified the areas that needed refinement and changed her approach when presenting to a prospect.

As a result of what she had learned, she became the number one salesperson in her company. Now, Mary has adopted a new belief; there is no such thing as failure, only unexpected results that you can then learn from. The only way Mary can fail is if she doesn’t embrace the lesson. I love that!

Photo Credit: Zen Sutherland