Why do salesreps resist change? (07)

People love to think about change—deciding to change, preparing to change—but when it comes to actually changing? Ahh, not so much. The most powerful force on earth is people’s ability to rationalize why they don’t have to change. We’ll explore how this resistance to change holds you back, how Kanter’s Law applies to every shift you want to make, and more. 

What is Finding Business with Scott Channell?

Talk about the art and science of business development: Stories and details to earn new clients or accounts, gain a competitive advantage and find your success.

This weeks podcast is about change. People love to think about change—deciding to change, preparing to change—but when it comes to actually changing? Ahh, not so much.

In my opinion, the most powerful force on earth is people’s ability to rationalize why they don’t have to change. We’ll explore how this resistance to change holds you back, how Kanter’s Law applies to every shift you want to make, and more.

"Welcome to the Finding Business podcast, where every Sunday, in just five minutes, you'll learn something new to attract ideal clients and accounts. I'm your host, Scott Channell. For more episodes and information on services offered, visit scottchannell.com with two T's, two N's, and two L's dot com. Now, onto today's episode."

Here’s the truth: Your habits—the good, the bad, and the ugly—are hard to break. Most people, despite their best intentions, fall back to their average, their comfort zone, their mean. Change is uncomfortable, and continuing to dance with the devel you know, is easy.

Resistance to change is a gravitational force, a powerful self-erected roadblock to a better future. It’s that voice in your head that says, “I don’t need to change yet. I’m different, What works for them, won’t work for me.” But here's the problem: what worked for you in the past isn’t necessarily what will work for you now. Clinging to old routines and outdated strategies won’t move you forward. In fact, they’ll keep you stuck.

And why do people resist? It's simple. Change requires new thinking, discomfort, and—let’s be honest—potential failure. Fear of failure, fear of looking stupid, fear of the unknown. People would rather wallow in their current hardship, doing what is comfortable, even when it’s not working anymore.

Let’s talk about Kanter’s Law. Kanters law states that everything looks like a failure in the middle. Think about it: at the start of any new endeavor, it’s all excitement, hope, and big dreams. At the end, the results are going to be fantastic. But it’s the middle where things get tough—where it feels like nothing’s working, where the only known is that you will face unseen obstacles and delays. They pile up. That’s the moment when most people give up. But here’s the thing: anything worth doing will be harder, take longer, and cost more than you expect. Every time.

To break through, focus not only on what you need to start doing but on what you need to stop doing. If you don’t stop the low-result activities that take up your time, you won’t create room for more productive behaviors. What you stop doing can be more important than the new things you decide to start.

Avoid falling into the trap of waiting too long to change. The danger is that if you delay too much, you’ll reach a point where you’re out of time. Then you’ll start reaching for gimmicks, hacks, and shortcuts, hoping for a miracle. That’s not how real, sustainable success works.

The goal isn’t to be different from the rest, but to be similar to the best. Study those who are already where you want to be, and follow their lead.

If you are not where you should be, if you are capable and hard working yet falling short of potential, embrace the challenge of change.

Hope this got you thinking.
For more information about this podcast, show episodes and services, go to Scott Channell with two t’s, two n’s and two l’s, dot com.

Thanks for listening.