--- title: What Your Sales Manager Expects From You Regarding Constraints | The Sales Blog description: It’s natural that your best intentions and best made plans rub up against the friction that is reality. Sometimes what you need to succeed or to move your opportunity through the pipeline is difficult, and sometimes it can feel as if what you need to do is impossible. What makes what you need seem impossible […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/The%20Sales%20Blog-2.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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Sometimes what you need to succeed or [to move your opportunity through](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/07/what-it-takes-to-get-the-really-big-deal-through-your-pipeline/) the pipeline is difficult, and sometimes it can feel as if what you need to do is impossible. What makes what you need seem impossible are constraints; they are the obstacles that make what you need difficult to obtain or achieve. But don’t go into your meeting with your sales manager to tell her that success is impossible—until you read this and rethink your plan. #### You Were Hired To Be Resourceful One of the primary attributes of successful people in all walks of life is their [resourcefulness](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/01/resourcefulness-the-ability-to-find-a-way/). It is their ability to find ways over, under, or around constraints that stop less successful people who are engaged in the same endeavor. You weren’t hired to discover and report the constraints you encounter to your sales manager or sales leader. You were hired to [be resourceful ](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/02/5-ways-to-be-more-resourceful-in-sales/)and to apply the great human attribute called your creativity to the problems you encounter. Before you go an explain why you cannot accomplish what you were charged to accomplish, stop and remember that you were hired to apply your best thinking to your problems, your challenges, and the goals you need to achieve. Then, do so. #### Identify Something More Than Constraints So you’ve run headlong into the Mother of All Constraints. Before you call it impossible, sit down and take the time to brainstorm all of the potential ways you might achieve the outcome you need. Are there resources you have access to that would eliminate the constraints? What changes can you make to your plan to achieve the same outcome? Could you achieve the same outcome by doing something completely different than your original plan? I mean completely different? Rethink the whole thing. How would you achieve the outcomes if you could start from scratch, taking into consideration the constraints you are now up against? How would you design your way around it if you didn’t have to do what you believe you always have to do? You’re not limited to your own resourcefulness. Part of being resourceful is reaching out to all of the super-smart people in your network who might not be limited by thinking about your problem through the conventional and constrained view that you can become saddled with when you are in solving problems in your own domain. Generate ideas and find a way. Or find more than one. #### What Your Manager Expects From You Your manager expects you to come to them with more than a list of constraints that are your impossibilities. Your manager expects you to come to them with all of the ideas your resourcefulness generated and a range of options and choices, as well as some idea of how those ideas might play out and impact others. You don’t say: “I can’t achieve this goal because (insert [your pet impossibility](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/10/getting-over-your-pet-impossibility-to-sell-better/) or constraint) prevents me from getting the outcome I need.” Instead, you say: “I ran into a giant constraint in achieving this outcome, and I have come up with three ways I think I can move this thing, but I want to run you through the scenarios to make sure we identify the best choice and that what we decide doesn’t unravel something else.” Your sales manager or sales leader will love you (more than they already do). And you will find your job much more fulfilling when you empower yourself to bring your best, creative, and resourceful self to all of your challenges. #### Questions Think through some of the major challenges you are faced with now. What are the constraints and obstacles that make obtaining the result you need so difficult? Take one of your constraints and really work on it. (Hint: There is no better time to work on problems like this than first thing in the morning. And I mean first thing. Get up at 5:30 AM, grab coffee, and sit down to a clean sheet of paper. Brainstorming with a brain that hasn’t already been blasted with demands for its attention is a whole lot more effective). Forget about the external barriers to obtaining the outcome you need. Instead, focus on the internal barriers. What do you tell yourself about the impossibility of achieving your desired outcome? What do you say to yourself that limits your resourcefulness? Does calling something impossible make it so? Does it in any way absolve you of your responsibility for the outcome? Does adding the word “because” to the words “I can’t” make the statement true? For more on increasing your sales effectiveness, subscribe to [the RSS Feed](https://www.thesalesblog.com/feed/) for The Sales Blog and my [Email Newsletter](http://thesalesblog.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=76cf0c62588f9f49b6d04a3d9&id=ecb6981006). Follow me on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/iannarino), connect to me on [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino), or friend me on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/iannarino). If I can help you or your sales organization, check out my coaching and consulting firm, [B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy](http://www.b2bsalescoach.com/), [email me](mailto:anthony@gmail.com), or call me at (614) 212-4729. Join the [Future Selling Institute](http://www.futuresellinginstitute.com) and connect, learn and grow with a community of sales managers, sales leaders, and salespeople who aspire to lead. 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 monthly post on [Sales Bloggers Union](http://www.salesbloggers.com/author/iannarino/). ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2010](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2010) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on December 28, 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. 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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" : "2022-06-16T3:02:47 PM", "datePublished" : "2010-12-28 22:38:10", "description" : "It’s natural that your best intentions and best made plans rub up against the friction that is reality. Sometimes what you need to succeed or to move your opportunity through the pipeline is difficult, and sometimes it can feel as if what you need to do is impossible. 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