It’s no secret. I’m a huge sports nut. There isn’t much about athletics that I don’t like, except for maybe the fact that active participation is requiring more Advil for me than it used to. So when a business client said that it’s more difficult now to “get the ball to the end zone” than it used to be. That started me thinking about what advice a competitive sports coach would share that translate to the business world.
1) Have a process. Recruiting is a big deal…so big a deal in fact that it’s heavily regulated about what can and can’t happen. Coaches spend a tremendous amount of time planning, strategizing, interviewing, and testing out new potential players. They know that the right players can make or break a team. Why is it then, that most companies interview by using the “mirror test.” If you fog one, you’re hired.
2) Have a playbook. Any coach will tell you that there’s a lot more to winning a game than just patting a player on the butt and sending them to the field. Football especially requires the memorization of hundreds of plays and watching countless hours of video. Most salespeople, and managers for that matter, can’t even tell me their Top 10 Behaviors each week. When I ask them to deliver their memorized 30-second commercial , I get blank stares. Business owners put their trust in a sales staff that is winging it when they walk out the door. Think that would fly at Arrowhead?
3) Schedule practice sessions. Under pressure, you have to execute. That’s not the time to wonder what to do. Those who abhor role play say “it just isn’t real world.” Well…duh! Would you rather practice in front of a prospective client? Would Coach Pinkel introduce a new play to his team and then say, “No, we’ll not practice it. Wait until we play Nebraska…we’ll try it out then and see if it works.” Yet in business, it happens every day.
Business is all about competition. If you’re going to play, play to win.
Tags: Business, competition, football, Sales, SuccessCategories: Business.
Cathy,
You are so right on here. Debriefing is also key for every sport including sales.
Thanks for the great nuggets,
Bob
Cathy,
Good way to put it. Love the “mirror test”, that is so true. It’s a good thing we have someone like you to be our Coach Pinkel of sales!
Thanks for all you do!
Ann