What do Athletes and Top Sales People Have in Common?
Nov 11, 2014
Written by: Walter Ruckes
(View Author Bio)
Today’s top athletes, the ones winning the big bowl games and standing on the podium with medals around their necks, are changing the game. There are new rules for what makes an athlete successful. Smart sales reps are using this new playbook to be more strategic, build lasting relationships and close sales faster than ever before.
There are so many sports clichés sprinkled throughout the sales process that after awhile you start to wonder if salespeople are a bunch of Monday-morning quarterbacks and cheerleaders trying to relive their glory days like Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite.
But today’s top athletes, the ones winning the big bowl games and standing on the podium with medals around their necks, are changing the game. There are new rules for what makes an athlete successful.
Smart sales reps are using this new playbook to be more strategic, build lasting relationships and close sales faster than ever before.
Here are the new strategies that top performing players and coaches follow to achieve success:
1. Don’t let someone else choose your goals.
Goals are highly personal and repeated research shows that top performers set their own goals. Shaun White, a top snowboarder and extreme sports icon, says, “I stopped playing soccer because of soccer moms. [They are] pretty intimidating to an eleven year old.”1 He switched to snowboarding, where there was less outside pressure and he could follow his own path. Understanding that your organization needs to set goals is important but don’t let those goals hold you back or intimidate you. Find the path, the vision and the goals that fit your strengths - even if they are a little extreme - and you will strike gold.
Read the full article.
Submitting your information allows us to reach out to you in the future.
Select a Location:
Choose a region to find relevant solutions and information.
