--- title: What You Cannot Control and What You Can | The Sales Blog description: You cannot control when and whether you dream clients are dissatisfied enough to consider your offer. You can control how much time you spend prospecting. You can control whether or not you have an effective plan for nurturing relationships over time. You can control how your dream clients think of you when they have a […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/The%20Sales%20Blog-2.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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You can control whether or not you have an effective plan for nurturing relationships over time. You can control how your [dream clients ](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/call-your-dream-client-now)think of you when they have a problem that you can solve with them. You can control whether or not your offering can create a great result and create a gap between where they are and where they might be. **You cannot control whether or not your dream client picks up the telephone when you call. ** You can control [whether or not you call back](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/when-it-is-okay-to-fail). You can control how often you try to call. You can control whether or not you have something to say that is [worth listening to](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/c-level-executives-want-to-hear-from-you-maybe) when they answer the telephone. You can control whether or not you [ask for the appointment.](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/03/4-ways-to-be-a-better-closer/) **You cannot control the outcome of the sales call. ** You can control whether or not you open the call well and make advancing the sale easier. You can control whether or not you waste your dream client’s time. You can control whether or not you ask for a commitment to move forward. You can control whether or not you make the call enough of a valuable interaction for your dream client that it increases their willingness to meet again. **You cannot control the information that a dream client shares with you during a sales call. ** You can control whether or not you have [an extraordinary set of questions](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/3-ways-to-improve-your-ability-to-diagnose-for-salespeople) that are designed to create an understanding. You can control whether or not you develop relationships deep enough within the organization to understand the ground truth. You can control whether or not you continue to seek the answers and information that will allow you to compete and to create something meaningful. You can control whether or not you continue to seek the truth. **You cannot control the questions, objections, and concerns your dream client may have.** You can prepare responses to the common questions, objections, and concerns that your dream clients have expressed in the past. You can decide whether or not to respond to questions for which you don’t have an answer and to ask for time to get the right answer. You can decide whether or not to have the subject matter experts from your team available to help with those answers when you meet with your dream clients. **You cannot control your competitors.** You can control whether or not you follow your competitors into commoditization or whether you [differentiate](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/3-ways-to-differentiate-yourself-and-your-offering-in-sales) yourself and your offering by behaving differently and creating value. You can control whether or not you create enough value to not sell on price alone. You can control whether or not you can make the case that there is a difference between price and cost. You can control which dream clients you spend your time pursuing. **You cannot control whether or not your dream client buys from you.** You can control whether or not you are a person worth buying from. You can control whether or not all of your interactions with your dream client make it easy for them to choose you over your competitors. You can control whether or not you are someone who creates value for her dream clients on every interaction. You can control whether or not you are perceived as possessing the [business acumen ](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/7-ways-to-improve-your-business-acumen-for-sales)necessary to be trusted with your dream client’s biggest problems. You can control whether or not you ask if you have created enough value to move forward with your dream client. You can control whether or not you have created [a compelling vision of better future](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/6-ways-you-can-be-a-better-storyteller-in-sales) and how that outcome can be achieved. You can control whether or not your provide the evidence necessary to prove that you can both achieve the outcomes that you sell and that will in fact make sure that they are achieved. You can control whether or not you ask for their business. #### Conclusion Much of what we encounter in sales is out of our control. But we can exercise control over ourselves, our behaviors, and our actions to make what is out of our control more likely to result in a deal. #### Questions 1. Is what you believe to be out of your control really out of your control? 2. Are you exercising the right amount of control over what you can control? No further questions. Read my interview with Tom Peters ([Part One](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/03/the-sales-blog-interview-tom-peters-on-the-little-big-things-part-one/) and [Part Two](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/03/the-sales-blog-interview-tom-peters-on-the-little-big-things-part-two/)). Read my [Blogs.com](http://www.blogs.com) featured guest post on the [Top Ten Sales blogs](http://www.blogs.com/topten/top-10-sales-blogs/). Read my monthly post on [Sales Bloggers Union](http://www.salesbloggers.com/author/iannarino/). Get [The Sales Blog iPhone App](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-sales-blog/id349930905?mt=8) to read The Sales Blog and [Twitter Feed](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) on your iPhone.   ###### Tags: [Mindset](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/mindset) [2010](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2010) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on April 16, 2010 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) ![hustler-ebook-v3-1-cover](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Free%20Resources/ebooks-2020/hustler-ebook-v3-1-cover.jpg?width=768&height=994&name=hustler-ebook-v3-1-cover.jpg) ### Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler You weren’t put here to survive. You were put here to do something and to flourish. You’re here to reach your full potential and to make a difference. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/a5c9ad9d-eb17-49f2-b8d2-2d0d07f221c7.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/a5c9ad9d-eb17-49f2-b8d2-2d0d07f221c7) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. 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" : "2024-09-11T11:17:00 AM", "datePublished" : "2010-04-16 07:15:52", "description" : "You cannot control when and whether you dream clients are dissatisfied enough to consider your offer. You can control how much time you spend prospecting. You can control whether or not you have an effective plan for nurturing relationships over time. 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