As someone who studies and supports sales, I am always amazed at how many BIG days my friends in sales have. Every week is huge. Each phone call is a chance to move things forward with a potential customer. Each meeting can advance the drive, or stall it. And every presentation is a chance to score big, or be denied. Sales and sports share a common language, and every big game reminds us of the keys to success:
Preparation: I’m surprised at how many un-successful salespeople are surprised when I tell them that most top performers I know are students of not only their own industry, but also their customer’s business. The Challenger Customer calls this “commercial insight.” It’s not enough to be a thought leader anymore – you have to know how to apply that knowledge to every opportunity with every customer.
Execution: Another one that separates the chums from the champs. Sales reps who just want to be everyone’s friend often go with the flow and don’t truly oversee the execution of solutions being developed, and delivered, to their customers. The best sales leaders are quarterbacks who not only call the plays, but also stay with their teams all the way down the field.
Teamwork: Sales is often seen as an individual pursuit, but in the big game the best team nearly always prevails over outstanding individual performances. If you are a sales leader, what are you doing to share strengths across your team? And if you are a sales person, how are you building the strongest support team available?
Champions don’t settle for anything less than super performance every day from themselves – and their teams. What are you doing to prepare yourself to lead your team to victory the next time you have a big game?
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