How much time have you spent in the last week thinking or complaining about the things you don’t control? The list is long: the economy, your competition’s prices, the quality of the product you sell and the unwillingness of prospects to call you back, etc. All these things affect you, but you don’t control any of them.

While it is important to be informed about what’s going on in the world around you, there’s no upside in dwelling on what you can’t control. Instead, focus on the things you absolutely control; the things that nobody else can diminish or prevent you from doing.

Here are six things that will pay off richly:

1. How much you prepare

I believe most sales are made before the presentation. The better-prepared man or woman is already ahead when he or she sits down with a prospect. They are prepared for curveballs and tough questions.

How hard do you prepare for each all? How much background research do you do of the company, the buyer and his or her needs? Have you anticipated, listed and prepared for the questions you’ll be asked?

(And don’t buy into the myth of “winging it.” Successful sales pros that appear to be winging it are usually so practiced and prepared it looks as if it were coming naturally. Where it is really coming from is years of preparation and practice.)

 2. How hard you work

Hard work is out of vogue with many. Most would rather take the path of least resistance. Winners take the path of some resistance, knowing that path leads to success. Resistance is the only thing that builds strength. The more resistance, the strong you become.

I’ve heard former Olympian Peter Vidmar say that the difference between a medal or no medal in gymnastics is often just fifteen extra minutes on the practice mat.

Effort is something you control, and if you need an energy boost, look at your diet, sleep patterns and lifestyle. It is hard to live a high performance life in a low performance body.

3. How quickly you grow

People rarely grow by accident. Growth is intentional. That means you need at least two things.

First, you need a learning agenda. Make sure to carve out time for reading and study. Focus on those topics that will give you more tools for your sales kit.

Next, you need time for reflection. You can make a hundred sales calls and if you don’t reflect on what went right, what went wrong and what could have gone better, you won’t learn anything.

4. How fast your respond

You’ll close more sales if you’re the first to get back to an interested buyer or customer who calls, emails or makes a request. Laggards wait until it is convenient for them to respond. Winners respond as fast as humanly possible, not because they’re desperate, but because they want the client to have the best service possible in the last amount of time.

5.  How clearly you think

When was the last time you did some proactive thinking? I don’t mean you thought about how to solve a problem, or how to answer a question or how to fulfill a commitment. Those things require reactive thinking. The ability to clear your mind and think about yourself, your work and what you are accomplishing will reveal insights hidden to most. Spend time each day proactively thinking.

Also examine your assumptions and beliefs. A mindset that never changes is a liability in a changing world. 

6. How well you follow up

I am appalled when a sales pro makes a call, presents a proposal and then promptly disappears. Become the king or queen of follow-up, accomplished at circling back, closing the loop, asking how to be of further service or just saying thank you.

All six of these things are simple, but like everything worthwhile in life, they’re not easy. The winners in selling—or any arena—are those who take responsibility to do what they can to create the results they desire. Focusing on things you can’t control is mostly a waste of time.

Mark Sanborn is an acclaimed speaker and bestselling author. The president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio for leadership development, he teaches how to lead or lead better, and how to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. www.marksanborn.com.

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