Where success and defeat meet

Flash point! A micro slice of space and time where our lives change, forever. This is either a painful moment that haunts us, or a place where our wildest dreams become real.

A photo finish decided the 2011 Melbourne Cup. Only the benefit of technology could confirm the faintest speck of light between first and second place. This year’s winner Dunaden pocketed millions in prize money; as for second place, well, it’s only a few days on and the name of that horse already escapes me.

In business the difference between being remembered as a winner and not being recalled at all can be minuscule. A one percenter could be the difference. Perhaps something that is relatively easy to do yet easy to forget. Often the small stuff matters most. Most markets are saturated with competitors doing the same thing. There are not many that really stick their neck out. Frequently, contracts are won on minor details, not necessary major points of difference.

Failure can be measured in millimetres. It’s these crushing blows to our confidence and self-esteem that either spurs us on to greater heights, or corrals us in defeat. Whether you win by the length of the Flemington straight or a flared nostril is irrelevant, the fact that you’ve won remains above all else. If you’ve lost, it’s what you do next that best defines you.

So next time you taste defeat take some time to reflect. Did you give it your all? If not, what areas can you develop and improve? If you are competing against a worthy foe, perhaps there are some things they do you can apply too. If you resign to defeat you will never grow. And it’s the pain and learnings from your most monumental losses that become your best asset.

Much like the Melbourne Cup, success is a race for stayers. Sprinters don’t qualify. To win you need strength, endurance and most importantly the will to succeed. If you lost by a hair this year, will we see you again next year? It doesn’t matter where you are placed on the final turn, it’s how you finish that matters most. And how you finish is how you’ll be remembered.

Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of sales training company BOOM! As a sales expert and facilitator, he partners with some of the world’s most dynamic and demanding sales driven companies. Trent is also the founder of salesprocess.com.au and the author of THE NAKED SALESMAN: How to walk the talk and sell your way to success!