Losing Sucks…Now What?

Every business competes for business. In sport, the aim is to outrun, outplay, and outperform your opponents. In gaming, the same applies. You need to beat the computer program or those competing in the virtual world.

And in our industry, it’s all about the agent or property manager who can best influence a seller or landlord to list with them.

Regardless of the industry, or the service you provide, competition is everywhere.

But while competition is just part of human nature, it’s not necessarily something that always feels natural.

In fact, the thought of competing can ‘unsettle’ people. They baulk at the idea of ‘losing’ to someone else. They worry about the prospect of being looked at less favourably, or fear incurring bruised pride should the competition be selected instead of them.

What wins the day?

Let’s be honest. Nobody enjoys losing out to the competition. Everyone would like to be the number one choice. And I get it. Like everyone else, I very much dislike losing!

But this is what I’ve learnt…

You can dislike losing and you can let that win the day, or you can use the setback.

You can kick the trashcan, sulk, wallow, find a quiet corner to cry in, or let rip with some savoury language.

You can carry around that disappointment, reside in that space and let it permeate every inch of your psyche. Go on. I dare you. Indulge. Have a wallow.

OK, are you done? Now where did that get you? Chances are it just resulted in lost time, a whole lot of negative thinking, and a tonne of lost energy that could have been applied elsewhere.

So what’s the alternative?

Driven by dissatisfaction

There’s energy that comes from a setback. That sense of anger, frustration or disappointment that you might channel into kicking that trashcan or hauling off with a paragraph of expletives can be harnessed more productively.

You can use it to fire you up. You can channel your dissatisfaction into improving, into working on your game more, or into outworking the competition.

You can double down, reframe it as a learning opportunity and acknowledge that this is about building resilience.

You can centre yourself, see it as a stepping stone and ultimately, you can use it to win the next client.

The long game

Think about a tennis match, because we’ve all seen how this plays out.

Think about those times you’ve watched a top player lose a critical set and in the process lose their tiny mind. They might argue with the ref, get angry with themselves, and perhaps even direct their frustration at the crowd.

Then think of the champions. The quiet unflustered achievers. They feel that loss just as keenly, but it’s what they do with that energy that counts.

Because they channel it – mentally and strategically. They use it. They feel the setback, they note what needs to be corrected, and then they find a way to quickly move on.

There’s always a next time

Just as there’s always a next game, set and match in tennis, in business and in sales there is always a next client. Use the competition to help you learn, grow and win that next opportunity.

Like the best of the best in sport, don’t let the competition get to you and most importantly, do not allow it to live between your ears.

Remember, you have total control over the positive or negative impact that the competition has over your results.

So, feel the setback, note what needs to be corrected, and then find a way to quickly move on.

About the Author

Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multi-brand real estate network, ‘the only fully integrated solution for you and your people to create an unforgettable experience.’

For all enquiries and more information on how the Agents’Agency can help you take your career to the next level, click here to get in touch.