Game 7 of the 2016 World Series got me thinking about sports analogies that we’ve all come across in our day to day working life. Most of us have worked for companies that want to “move the ball across the goal line” when closing a deal or “throw a hail mary” when there’s a last ditch effort to save a client. As sales professionals we may even talk about our “bench strength” when referring to the skills our employees have or talk about an opportunity as a “slam dunk.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never come close to actually executing a slam dunk so I try to stay away from that one!
Whether you’re a Chicago Cubs fan, a Cleveland Indians fan, a baseball fan in general or not a sports fan at all I don’t think anyone can argue with the historical significance of Game 7 last night. It’s easy for us to criticize some of the plays that were made, or in some cases not made, along with some of the managerial decisions. The majority of us will never understand the pressure of the moment that I can only imagine touched each of the athletes during the Series.
The real reason for writing this? Another sport’s analogy! The “Monday Morning Quarterback” was born from everyday people (you, me, professional sports announcers, etc.) questioning decisions made during a Sunday NFL football game. Obviously football isn’t just played on Sunday’s and the second guessing applies to decisions made every day of the week in life (sports, academics, professional jobs.)
What’s interesting is in you apply the “Monday Morning Quarterback” approach to your own actions. Sticking with the sports theme, almost all high level athletes have experienced watching game film. I know…it’s not “film” anymore and I’m somewhat dating myself. But you know what I mean! The purpose of watching the film is to learn what went right, what went wrong and what can be improved. It shows the strengths and weaknesses of “the other team” and helps us to build a strategy for the next time we play them.
Many companies will conduct a “post-mortem” at the conclusion of a sales cycle. In my experience, this happens more often when a deal is lost than when a deal is won but it’s a significant part of a company’s learning process. A lot of us will do this informally with ourselves after a sales call. There’s always room for improvement. Often, however, at the conclusion of a sales call we’re focused on the next steps and action items coming out of a meeting as well as mentally preparing for our next meeting…often with a different prospect.
I said something on a sales call yesterday that has stuck with me over the last 24 hours. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but this was an “a-ha” moment for me. The customer was explaining to me some of their internal challenges related to balancing internal processes with technological solutions. They were not criticizing my company or our solutions in any way. My initial response to them was “you are not unique…” and I followed that up with “I don’t mean that in a bad way.” The fact that I had to add a disclaimer means I should have never said it to begin with! The “a-ha” moment! I didn’t want them to think that the issue was unique to them – most companies struggle with balancing process with technology. But there were many different ways I could have said this!
My advice: After every sales call, watch the game film. Play it over in your mind. Ask others that were with you what went well. What didn’t. This one simple act can make you a better sales person.
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