What Happens With NOTHING?

by Jeff Seeley, CEO, Carew International, Inc.

As I sit here today, I am thinking about… NOTHING. That is not to say I’m not thinking about anything. I am thinking about the concept of “NOTHING,” because “NOTHING” is what a lot of folks out here in the business world are doing these days. I have found myself witnessing friends, peers, and business leaders alike doing NOTHING a lot lately. Given the uncertainty in the world economy etc., we could all find a lot of reasons to do NOTHING.

I must admit, there is a certain beauty to NOTHING. There is little-to-no brain activity required; no rejection; and certainly no failure, which we all hate. NOTHING is very seductive in its evil way of luring us into thinking it is the safest course. Particularly in the sales arena, there can be a temptation to lay low; that doing NOTHING will keep you or your company out of the spotlight. The spotlight is where one can be seen, assessed and judged. After all, in these tough times our customers are overwhelmed with their own problems, looking for places to cut. If you can just stay out of the crosshairs...

The problem with NOTHING is that it sounds harmless. It is anything but. NOTHING is worse than starting Something and Failing. If you are doing NOTHING, you’re not even in the game. There is no chance of winning if you’re not even playing. Doing NOTHING is a self fulfilling prophecy for customers looking to cut dead wood. Who’s not contributing to their bottom line? Who’s not adding value? That would be the sales rep from ABC Company, who is doing NOTHING.

And while it may seem counter intuitive, doing NOTHING isn’t really as effortless as it sounds. For those of us who are motivated and have high performance standards, doing NOTHING takes a great deal of effort as well as a certain amount of willpower. In fact, it is an outright energy drain.

If it all came down to losing a customer, a deal, your job, your company (whatever is important to you) would you rather have lost in a spectacular manner -- using every resource, creative thought and effort you could summon -- or receive the dreaded phone call knowing your effort was NOTHING, Zilch, Nada?

So stop doing NOTHING and start SOMETHING...ANYTHING! Even if you fail with great drama and flair, there is always a reward for the effort -- be it learning, new opportunities, new creative approaches to the market or new opportunities inside of your prospects and customers. Get out there and be seen, listen and get in the game. And let’s face it, if we are giving a true effort, there is always the possibility that we can win.

NOTHING is seductive, but do not heed its siren call. Just do SOMETHING!!!!