Let’s talk about zero optionality

 

To succeed in sales, you need a relentless focus and determination towards your goal. Emily Parker from Insider has it. Do you? Let’s find out more.

In November 2023, we staged a Sales Confidence live event specifically for SDRs. As always, we had a great line-up of past and present SDRs sharing their unique insights. We put together some articles from the event, so even if you couldn’t be there, you can still get inspired.

Emily Parker


Emily is the Director of Inside Sales at Insider. She began her SaaS career as an SDR before moving into management and scaling teams across Europe.

Emily’s 7-minute talk was on the concept of zero optionality. What’s that? I hear you ask.

‘In a nutshell, zero optionality is about having a relentless focus and determination towards your goal. It’s almost like a paranoia or an obsession around it. In my professional and personal life, I want to find a way to harness zero optionality in everything I do.’

Here are two pillars of zero optionality.

1 – Intrinsic motivation


Intrinsic motivation is when you’re motivated by the joy of the activity itself. The three elements of intrinsic motivation are:

  • Accountability – having control over your actions

  • Competence – feeling capable and skilled in what you’re doing

  • Relatedness – being connected to others


When you choose to do something rather than feel forced to do it, you can increase your dopamine (the happiness hormone) and decrease cortisol (the stress hormone).

2 – Clear goals 


How can you be obsessed with a goal if you don’t know what the goal is?

The one thing successful people have in common is that they can tell you precisely what they want to achieve, with a personal and authentic reason behind it. Then, they made sure to make it happen.

If you are unsure of your goals, you can use zero optionality to determine what you want to achieve. Have those conversations with yourself (and others) to decide what you want to do in your life. Once you discover it, you unlock a whole new level of dedication. You’ll make the changes you need to make and fully commit.

Good luck!

Over to you


Thanks to Emily for a thought-provoking 7-minute talk. Now, we want to know what you think.

Do you practice zero optionality? What are the goals you’re obsessed with right now?

Why not share it with the Sales Confidence community? Hit reply or leave a comment.