Before we get to today’s Point (the final one in our current series), we want to announce our first-ever Social Media Conference. This half-day conference about networking and much more is set for Thursday, October 29 here in Birmingham. Experts—from the real world with its ever-changing media landscape—will tell you how best to monetize your social media activities. These guest speakers will share their own highly successful tips and techniques for more profitable and productive social-business interactions. Look for details in the next few weeks.

Now let’s get to the Point.

For the past several weeks, I’ve offered a series of mistake-avoidance tips. I pulled five subjects from The 10 Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make (and how to avoid them), a topic we addressed in our recent sales conference; today, we’re on tip No. 5. You can review the previous Points—the pitfalls of not listening, the problems that come from a lack of opportunities in your pipeline, the perils of procrastination and the unfortunate predicament of quitting too soon—at www.corsini.com.

Today, let’s wrap all this up with a few words about accountability. I believe that many of the biggest, most costly mistakes that salespeople encounter come from a lack of accountability. For almost 20 years, I’ve coached some of the brightest and best rainmakers in the U.S., and I’ve come to realize a very important point: Rainmakers are not born. They are created and shaped through hard work, dedication and a burning desire to achieve success—both in and out of their offices.

All of this—the hard work, the dedication and the desire—become more focused and useful when accountability comes into play. Think about it: Just knowing you have to account, on a regular basis, to a person you trust helps you consistently do the things you need to do to be successful. Accountability will force you to learn to listen better and keep your pipeline full of ample opportunities. Accountability will help you overcome the bad habit of procrastination and keep you from quitting too soon. And that’s just the beginning! In short, accountability keeps you focused on overachieving your goals and helps you avoid the costly mistakes we’ve talked about for five weeks now.

We all know that accountability is a cornerstone of a successful sports team. Winning teams have great players, and they have great coaches. There’s a reason why these coaches can command big money for their winning strategies. Owners and universities know that with the right coach(es), their team has a real chance at a top title. It’s the coaches’ responsibility to make sure the team operates at peak performance using their playbook of success. Every day, on and off the field or court, these coaches hold team members accountable.

Now let’s relate sports to sales. Many a person has gotten into sales because of the freedom that the sales profession offers. And it’s true; sales does provide for lots of flexibility and freedom to perform. Yet it’s that very flexibility and freedom that, in many cases, will cause salespeople to underachieve and keep them from reaching their potential.

Accountability keeps that from happening.

In the early 1990s, I worked with a rainmaker who was already tops in his industry. Although highly successful by any measure, he wanted to earn more, sell more and have more time off. He knew he couldn’t achieve these goals without a plan. But even more importantly, he told me: “I need accountability.” We worked together with focused accountability, and he became the #1 salesperson out of an impressive field of 2,500 others. Because of this experience—and his results—I learned firsthand the vast power of accountability. It made me also realize the root of the problem of a salesperson with too much freedom.

I strongly encourage you to adapt a sales model that includes accountability as one of your key ingredients for success. Find a mentor, a coach or some other sort of advisor, and then work regularly and often with that person. Share with them your “playbook of success” so they can give you honest and real feedback on how you are doing—so they can hold you accountable. Ask them for suggestions on what you need to do to stay in the game. Then take their advice!

Accounting, on a regular basis, for your actions (or lack of them) to a person you trust is absolutely key to lasting success. Don’t let a lack of accountability keep you from being all you can be.

People, given the choice, usually resist accountability. Salespeople especially love their freedom. And truth be told, sales is one of the few professions that has a lack of accountability built into the job. Don’t let flexibility and freedom (and the lack of accountability that goes with these situations) keep you from overachieving. Enjoy your freedom, but be sure to fully embrace accountability. Let accountability be your friend—not your foe. Seek out a trusted advisor who will hold you accountable to your plan of success. Accountability will help you do what you do better.