--- title: Catastrophic Failures Are Not Single Events | The Sales Blog description: You missed your number. You didn’t reach your goal. It’s too late to do anything about it, and now you have real trouble. It’s a catastrophe of the first order. But this calamity was a long time in the making. There was that one day when you didn’t feel like prospecting. Instead of booking meetings, […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_608980934.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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You didn’t reach your goal. It’s too late to do anything about it, and now you have real trouble. It’s a catastrophe of the first order. But this calamity was a long time in the making. There was that one day when you didn’t feel like [prospecting](http://thesalesblog.com/2018/02/23/things-that-are-not-b2b-prospecting/). Instead of booking meetings, you busied yourself with work that, even when done well, would not help you either create or win an opportunity. Nothing bad happened that day or the four days that followed. Even after a week of avoiding the phone, no ill effects were present or felt. Sometime later, your manager asked you about your results, and you bamboozled her with some stories about the two big deals you’ve been working on for the last six months and how close you’re getting. You assuaged her fears, and she decided your story was convincing enough that she put them in her forecast. There was nothing to worry about, and you had plenty of year left to win deals. Occasionally, when the mood struck you, you made some calls. Some days four dials, other days six attempts, but no [real effort](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/12/07/your-effort-exactly-matches-your-real-goals/). The paychecks keep coming in, and life goes on pretty much as it always has. The idea that you are running out of time is beginning to give you cause for concern. You have months to catch up, and you tell yourself tomorrow you will get serious. But tomorrow comes, and no casual observer would recognize any greater effort were they to watch you work. You can smoke a single cigarette without any real risk. You can likely smoke cigarettes for many days in a row without any real threat to your health. At some point in the future, without warning the risk will go from none to catastrophic. The health problem will be new, but the catastrophe is the result of an action taken over a long period. That action was taken with full knowledge of the risk of disaster that usually follows in its wake. We give salespeople much [freedom](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/05/01/need-equal-amount-discipline-match-autonomy-episode-99/). That freedom is necessary, especially the freedom to manage their work — the discipline that allows that freedom must match that freedom. These are two sides of the same coin. Those who cannot match their freedom with the necessary discipline inevitably experience a catastrophic failure. ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2018](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2018) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on December 4, 2018 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-06-15T5:43:58 PM", "datePublished" : "2018-12-04 21:19:11", "description" : "You missed your number. You didn’t reach your goal. It’s too late to do anything about it, and now you have real trouble. It’s a catastrophe of the first order. But this calamity was a long time in the making. There was that one day when you didn’t feel like prospecting. 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