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Successful entrepreneurs are everyone’s envy. They convey powerful confidence as they ambitiously move forward, driven by passion and inspired by mission.

But what separates high-energy, deeply focused entrepreneurs from the rest of us? Frankly, there’s no difference. We all have the entrepreneurial spirit within. Our personal quest should be to find ways to unleash our own entrepreneurial attitude to achieve greater things as a leader, motivator, and customer champion.

As we have learned through best-selling business books, entrepreneurs are made not born. Indeed, once we accept full responsibility for our actions and results, and find a role where we can make a true contribution, an entrepreneurial attitude is free to grow.

So how can sales and account managers develop and flex their entrepreneurial muscle? What are the characteristics of an entrepreneur that can be modeled and honed?

As a sales or account manager, operating as an entrepreneur means functioning in your position as if your territory and your customer’s business was your own business. OK, so you don’t actually own the business, you’re not a founder, and you don’t rub elbows with the board of directors. What makes you an entrepreneur is knowing that you own your actions.

When you own your actions, you become fully accountable and responsible for how you think and act. Sales and account managers with an entrepreneurial attitude make themselves accountable for everything they do…and deliver. Only after you recognize your own accountability can you earn a customer’s respect and trust—and business.

Frankly, entrepreneurs also believe that no one owes them a living. They create their own destiny.

Do you have what it takes to tap into your entrepreneurial spirit? Here are 10 key qualities of an entrepreneur that you can assess against yourself. Remember that unleashing the spirit within is only a matter of believing in yourself and finding opportunities to exercise your entrepreneurial muscle.

1. Entrepreneurs are proactive, not reactive

Entrepreneurs have the advantage of gaining a few extra hours a day. They do this by proactively investing time at the beginning of any endeavor to understand the primary goals of the mission. They then constantly evaluate their actions against the larger goals. This proactive stance keeps them focused and on task.

Are they all great time managers? Well, they know how to prioritize based on what they most want to accomplish. They also make time for the most important things—like understanding customer needs—and do not just step in to handle the urgent things that can easily bog down progress in other areas. Their most important areas of concern include:

• Executing against their vision, mission and goals
• Becoming an expert in their customers’ business
• Becoming an industry/market expert
• Growing their relationships through each customer
• Evaluating their current and new customer mix
• Generating new business opportunities
• Becoming an unpaid employee of their customers

Because of this focus, over the long haul, entrepreneurs actually reduce the emergencies they face, as they thrive on offense rather than defense. Entrepreneurs anticipate and plan for uncertainty and address each situation focusing on clear-cut objectives with plans to move forward toward their goals.

2. Entrepreneurs are self-motivated
Most entrepreneurs love what they do. They see the big picture and always operate as if they are moving toward something significant.

Challenges are exciting, not burdensome. If long hours and a full commitment to a situation are required to directly impact success, then passion turns to self-motivation. Personal accountability, as I mentioned earlier, must rule your nature. When you own your actions, you don’t need anyone else to motivate you.

Generally, there are two types of business motivation—fear and passion. What’s your motivation? If you put forth deep effort only when threatened or against a serious deadline, chances are you won’t be able to sustain it. If your level of effort emanates from a sense of personal accountability, you have the potential to create boundless energy for yourself and those around you. Simply put, self-motivation is a great leadership trait because it is contagious.

3. Entrepreneurs are results-oriented
Being results-oriented does not mean being focused on short-term goals and activities. Entrepreneurs know what they want and are able to identify results. Metrics, benchmarks and milestones keep them on track. They know how to break down large goals into specific objectives that drive actions.

Entrepreneurs do not, however, confuse activities with objectives. If they discover their actions are not delivering desired results, they stop to assess the situation. They do not simply do more of the same, but faster. They explore what’s working and what’s not, so they can plan their next path. And, most important, they do not change their objectives to justify their actions. They constantly re-evaluate their actions against results.

As you might have experienced, many sales representatives will present dozens of reasons why goals and objectives cannot be met. Because entrepreneurs believe, “I must make it happen,” they find a way to overcome the many reasons others have failed.

4. Entrepreneurs focus on opportunities and solutions, not problems
This doesn’t mean that they avoid problems. They just don’t waste time with finger-pointing and blaming. They evaluate each situation as it occurs. They quickly identify what is at stake, and what information and whose cooperation is needed to solve the problem. They have developed the ability to build consensus where there is conflict, and they demonstrate empathy.

5. Entrepreneurs live in the present
Choose not to dwell in the past. Entrepreneurs are not bound by pre-set limits. They observe market changes, and they learn from past actions. They do not assume everything will operate as it has before. They embrace change and easily adapt to new situations. They will always separate themselves from people who try to maintain the status quo.

6. Entrepreneurs are great communicators of their vision and motivators of action
Can you see a situation from multiple viewpoints and genuinely put yourself in your customers’ shoes? Can you put yourself in the position of a representative that you manage? By achieving this level of understanding, entrepreneurs guide others easily toward agreement. They sell ideas and enlist support well.

7. Entrepreneurs are committed to developing versatility
Entrepreneurs move beyond their area of expertise, such as product specialization, to gather more insight into new areas where greater knowledge is needed. Sales or account managers of distribution solutions might push themselves to learn more about supply chain management, warehouse management, vendor collaboration, implementing distribution solutions, or measuring ROI of value chain offerings.

Are you willing to learn outside your comfort zone? Entrepreneurs are not afraid to acquire new skills at the risk of feeling dumb, lost or uncomfortable. They take such feelings in stride, as they keep goals in mind and remain clear on the value of learning something new. They’re willing to stick it out and endure the ups and downs of developing new skills and expertise.

8. Entrepreneurs take calculated risks
They don’t fall victim to paralysis by analysis. They understand that even well-planned and executed events may need real-time adjustments and changes. They thoughtfully weigh the potential payoff of any action and factor in worst-case scenarios.

9. Entrepreneurs are resilient
As long as they avoid a severe set-back, entrepreneurs never lose sight of their vision and goals. They learn from all their experiences and move forward with the increased confidence that broader knowledge has given them. Plans are adjusted accordingly. They do not lose sight as they continue to work their plan.

10. Entrepreneurs understand their value and need for development
Although entrepreneurs learn much on the job, they continually invest in their personal and professional growth. They make learning an ongoing concern, and they know what skills and strengths are needed. Many are avid readers of content that gives them greater insight and inspiration. They know they need to be good decision-makers to provide the greatest value to their business and to their customer’s business. And they understand that greater knowledge leads to better decisions and results.

So as you assess your business and personal goals and mission, what image do you have of yourself? Are entrepreneurial attitudes just waiting to be unleashed? Well, now’s the time to take a deeper look at your own motivations and attitude to do what’s best for you, your business, your team and your customers. Would the ideal you be more entrepreneurial? Are you ready to be fully accountable for what you do and stay committed to your goals? What specific actions can you take now to develop these qualities?

Whatever you decide, rest assured that all these qualities lurk within, ready to help you become the best entrepreneur and leader you can be.

About the author
Dirk Beveridge is president and chief executive officer of 4th Generation Systems, a sales, marketing, and leadership development firm that helps distributors and manufacturers become more competitive and provide deeper value to customers. Dirk is an experienced business executive who has helped strengthen the sales and marketing strategies of leading firms, such as Time Warner, IBM, Andersen Windows, Avaya and Berlin Packaging. For more than 20 years, he has worked with more than 3,000 firms as a leadership and sales management consultant, trainer and speaker. He can be reached at dbeveridge@4thgenerationsystems.com.

© 2006 Reed Business Information