This month’s CROPS Report has a focus on sales in relation to professional golfers.
Customer Satisfaction
Similar to a fan cheering on their favourite athletes, customers want to see a good ‘performance’ from a sales professional or people they work with that represent your company. It is important to deliver on your promises, be professional in your actions, and exceed their expeactions if possible. Customers (and fans) always remember the unexpected ‘chip shot’ or value-add that made a difference in their level of enjoyment.
Risk Management
Pro athletes prepare themselves for many challenges and obstacles, and being a sales professional should be no different. The key is to manage the associated risk you may encounter, and have the proper training and experience that will allow you to successfully get past the road blocks you will face. Manage your risk, and you will succeed in sales.
Operational Efficiencies
Operational efficiencies, or a lack there of, have an impact on an organization’s level of success in relation to its sales. As will be evident in the feature article, the systems and processes that you have in place influence your success ratio. The stronger your internal efficiencies as a company are, the more likely you will experience greater success. The key is to establish ‘pro’ sales systems and structures that enable your team to succeed like sales ‘pros’.
People
People are human. Therefore, it is unrealistic to think that people can eliminate ALL distractions in order to keep them focused on the task at hand. As a business owner, it is important to help set your employees up for success. Provide them with the proper support and tools that enable them to do their jobs well, in an efficient and confident manner.
Sales
The feature article is listed below!
Feature Article: What Golf Can Teach Us About Sales.
$ale$…….Some don’t have enough. Few have just the right amount. Some want it more than others!
As a Sales professional where do you fit into this list? As a company, where do you place your sales force on this list?
Sales are a lot like sports. If you are really good at a particular sport, you will likely practice more than someone who is not as good. (More specifically, you will have to “perfect” practice to “perfect” your game, as our mentor Arnold McLaughlin reminds us many times).
Let’s say you are in a golf tournament (PGA Championship) and you have completed 3 amazing rounds and you are on top of the leader board. What does Saturday evening and Sunday morning look like for you? It is unlikely that you stay up late and party simply because you are in the lead. You won’t sleep in and eat a heavy “fat-filled breakfast.” It is guaranteed that you will prepare, mentally, physically and emotionally. Think about it. How does the 8th ranked golfer in the world win the PGA championship? (Jason Dufner did just that a few weeks ago). He relies on his coach and caddie to take his game to the next level. He is prepared mentally, physically and emotionally, and believes he can win!
If you were having the best month, quarter or year of your sales career, what are you doing to stay on top, mentally, physically and emotionally? What are you doing Sunday evening to prepare for the week ahead? What does Monday morning look like for you?
At X5, we coach many sales professionals and we have identified three areas that make the difference from the average sales professional to the championship sales pro.
FOCUS, WILL, and CAPABILITY
Like golf, the sales professional is Laser Focused on the goal or objective. You won’t see the leader at the PGA Championship walking up to the 18th green with a mobile phone in his hand and texting friends and family about how awesome his round is. So, why is it that so many sales professionals (or any other career for that matter) do this daily, to intentionally distract them from their game? Focus on the task at hand and avoid distractions that take you off of your “sales game.”
Winners in sports and sales are Willing to “practice”, eat healthy, exercise, meditate and get plenty of rest. As a sales professional, are you willing to do whatever it takes to improve your sales game? What bad habits are you prepared to stop doing? What good habits, must you do more of?
Not everyone will win a PGA Championship, nor will they be the top sales producer in their industry, but all of us can be better at the game. How can you develop new Capabilities and skills to become better every day, week, month, or quarter? What do we read, study and follow to get better? Can you use the support of a coach or mentor to take your game to the next level?
I am a much better coach than I am a golfer, and I have realized a few things that are so simple that can improve with my golf game:
If I Focus more on the game, I play better. (My tips: Turn off your phone, keep your head down and look at the ball). Simple, but they must be consistently followed!
When I willing practice more and instil healthy habits in my game, I play better. (My tips: Spend more time practicing than I normally do and spend time on my weaker components of my game, like chipping)
In order to improve my skill I rely on the advice and support of people that are great at golf. They coach my game with the simple things that can make all the difference. It brings up my game and allows me to practice the right habits.
A final comparison to sales and golf. A PGA tournament has 4 rounds. A fiscal year in your business has 4 quarters. You can have a bad round or quarter, but the key to getting back on track is to focus on the outcome, avoid distractions that don’t add value to your results and continually improve your game every “hole”, every “sale” and every day.
A great quote from golf legend, Arnold Palmer: “What do I mean by concentration? I mean focusing totally on the business at hand and commanding your body to do exactly what you want it to do.”
photo credit: costanavarino via photopin cc
