The biggest difference between average and Top Performers

After more than 20 years in the automotive industry, there’s one pattern I’ve seen over and over again.

It doesn’t matter whether I’m working with a new salesperson, an experienced manager or an entire leadership team. Whenever something changes, the reactions are surprisingly similar.

A manufacturer introduces a new sales process.

A new digital tool is launched.

Customer expectations shift.

The market changes.

And almost immediately, the conversation starts.

“Our customers don’t want that.”

“That might work somewhere else, but not here.”

“We’ve been successful for years without it.”

“The manufacturer has no idea what it’s really like out here.”

To be fair, not every new idea is a good one. I’ve seen processes that made things more complicated instead of simpler. I’ve seen strategies that looked great in a presentation but didn’t reflect reality in the dealership. So this isn’t about pretending that every change is brilliant. It’s about something completely different.

Over the years, I’ve realised that the people who consistently achieve the best results aren’t the ones with the easiest conditions.

They’re working in the same market.

Selling the same products.

Competing against the same brands.

Talking to the same customers.

The difference isn’t what’s happening around them. The difference is how they respond to it. Average performers usually start by asking why something won’t work.

Top performers ask a different question.

“How could this work?”

That small shift changes everything. Because the moment you start looking for reasons why something won’t work, your brain gets incredibly good at finding them.

You’ll notice every obstacle.

Every problem. Every excuse. And before long, you’ve convinced yourself that success simply isn’t possible.

But if you ask yourself how something could work despite the challenges, your focus changes.

Instead of seeing obstacles, you begin to notice opportunities.

Instead of waiting for perfect conditions, you start looking for possibilities.

I’ve seen this countless times in training sessions. Two people leave the same room after hearing exactly the same information. One spends the next week explaining why the new approach won’t work. The other starts testing it on Monday morning.

Guess who usually gets better results.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years is that successful people spend very little time worrying about things they can’t control.

Of course, the market matters.

Manufacturers matter.

The economy matters.

Customer behaviour matters.

Ignoring reality isn’t optimism. But constantly complaining about things outside your control has never improved anyone’s performance. The people who keep growing focus on something else. They ask themselves:

“What can I influence today?”

Their preparation.

Their communication.

Their attitude.

Their willingness to learn.

Their consistency.

Their ability to adapt.

Those are the things that create results over time. Looking back, I don’t think the biggest advantage top performers have is experience.

It’s responsibility. They don’t wait for better circumstances. They become better within the circumstances they have. And that’s probably the biggest lesson the automotive industry has taught me.

The market will continue to change.

Technology will continue to evolve.

Customer expectations will continue to shift.

Complaining won’t stop any of it.

But curiosity, adaptability and a genuine willingness to keep learning will always be an advantage.

After more than two decades in this industry, I’m more convinced of that than ever.

At the end of the day, successful people don’t necessarily have fewer challenges.

They simply spend less time explaining why something won’t work…

…and far more time figuring out how to make it work.