Unless you are paid a salary and earn nothing through commission, you are self-employed. I think this is why so many salespeople fail in their first year of sales. It makes perfect sense when you consider that 80% of all new businesses fail in the first five years, and nearly 90% of those failures occur in the first year.

Having been self-employed for over 35 years, I know that it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that working hard will be enough. I once had a plan to work 40 hours a week to build my business. However, an experienced executive quickly pointed out that if I didn’t already work 40 hours by Wednesday noon, I wouldn’t survive. His advice was a wake-up call, and it taught me the importance of building the right sales strategy.

One reason that salespeople often fail in their first year is due to a lack of structure. Without a solid sales plan and strategy, you’re left working without a clear direction, which can lead to frustration and less than satisfactory results. If you feel stuck, it might be time to revisit your sales process and put more intentionality into your daily habits.

A solid sales plan includes more than just goals—it requires intentional actions every day. You need to look at what you do every minute of every day for a week and ask yourself if you’re following the habits of a winning entrepreneur.

How are you spending your time? Are you focusing on the habits that will drive your success? Building a robust sales process means prioritizing productive activities that lead to consistent results.

Incorporating daily habits of success into your routine will help you become a master salesperson. This may include setting aside time to prospect, refining your pitch, and following up with leads. As you build these habits, your sales process will become more streamlined and effective, leading to predictable growth.

To be successful in sales, you need to go beyond just working hard—you need a clear, actionable sales plan that guides your day-to-day decisions. By implementing the right habits and strategies, you’ll be able to scale your business and see consistent results over time.