The Similarities of Sales, Sports –Farquharson/Tedesco

We admit it. We’re a couple of Boston sports fanatics. Boo. Hiss. Are you done yet? No? Boo some more. Now that we’ve all got that out of our system, let’s turn to this month’s topic: snagging every sales opportunity that comes your way.

Oh, this will be painful for a lot of our friends from New York. Left-handed swatter “Big Papi” (David Ortiz) is an extraordinary hitting machine. Just one problem—he usually pulls the ball. After this pattern became established, what did opposing teams do?

Based on the pitching match-up, some teams would do a radical shift by positioning the shortstop to the right field side of second base and put the second baseman in shallow center field. In short, they positioned themselves where they thought the ball would be hit.

Back to print sales. In a sales capacity, you’re looking to position yourself where more balls are hit. Sometimes you’ll have to adjust your schedule to your clients’. Perhaps you know a prospect who never seems to be available during business hours. Find out when they are available and make yourself available then.

One of your authors once had a client in central Maine, and routinely departed Boston at the insane hour of 3 a.m. to meet him for a 6 a.m. breakfast at a local greasy spoon. Because this client was president of a $100mm+ company, a top five customer and just a great guy to be around, the 2:30 a.m. wake-up call and long drive were well worth it.

Imagine that you’re a competitor looking for this client’s business. First, you’d have to find out this guy’s schedule. Then, you’d have to will yourself to schedule and make it to these early breakfasts. Even if you did all that, you’d just be a copycat. Shifting working hours—before the competitor thought of it—is what sewed up this account.

In the business world, David Ortiz-like shifts can come in many flavors. Here are a few more ideas:

• Attend association meetings where your customers will be at—first as a friend, then as a sales representative with an advantage: trust and familiarity.

• Comb newspapers, trade publications and the Internet for current news about your prospects. Then, go and teach them things about their company they may not even know.

• Become an industry expert by writing, or being interviewed for, an article appearing in a major trade publication. This credibility will help you win new business.

Also remember to use good fielding techniques. If you want to field that ground ball, start with your glove on the ground, then raise it to follow the bounce. When ugly grounders squib between fielders’ feet, it’s almost always because the fielder expects a bounce, gets lazy and positions his glove where he thinks it will hop. If it skips low, he stabs down at the ball, making a Bill Buckner moment more likely.

Prospects or customers calling your company are like easy grounders: most of them will have a need—possibly immediate. Don’t take your eye off the ball. Train all phone-answering employees to ask the right questions and gather the right information when companies call with a live quote.

Even if you’re not a fit for what the company is calling about, take time to learn about them. Supply all phone-answering employees with a list of questions to guide their conversations, which might include:

• Printing processes bought—offset, digital, web, etc.

• Volume of printing purchased.

• Frequency of printing jobs—number of jobs per week/month/year.

• Reasons for purchase—promotional, informational, etc.

• Cause of sleepless nights—late deliveries, poor quality, personal job security.

• Print providers—current printers and length/strength of relationships.

• Descision maker and key business influencer info—include job function, not always just the person’s title.

If nothing else, make sure your teammates always get answers to questions #1 and #2. The company calling may have other printing needs that fit you well, but you might never know if you don’t ask! Make sure you add them to your marketing list.

Gathering the information above will allow you to market more effectively to these prospects and customers. Even if the first inquiry doesn’t bear fruit, the next ones might. To ensure this information is captured in a useful way, develop a company-wide database that any employee can access and update.

And, don’t forget to “always be prepared.” Think we’re changing up to the Boy Scouts? Nope. We’re still in sports land.

It’s a sunny day at the ballpark. Last inning; you hit a home run and put your team ahead. Now, you’re back in the infield, the sun in your eyes. The batter swings and launches a pop-up toward you. As any infielder knows, you do three things in this situation:

1. flip down your shades so you can locate the ball,
2. choose a path to the ball that avoids getting the sun in your eyes (as much as possible),
3. raise your glove to shield the sun.

Unfortunately, last inning you were busy basking in the glory of your big hit and forgot to grab your flip-down shades before heading out to the field. Without your shades, you lose the ball in the sun. In baseball, you can go from hero to goat just like that.

Are there parallels to this in the sales world? Sure! Say you start taking an awesome customer for granted. Maybe you neglect to make sure his account is covered while you’re on vacation. Perhaps you forget to return a call.

Little things like these can lead to this awesome print buyer accepting a call from another salesperson, creating a crack in your business relationship. Suddenly, that amazing repeat job got bid out and you’re backpedaling, trying to find a ball you’ve caught a thousand times before that’s now lost in the sun.

OK, admittedly, we’re a couple of Boston homeys. Guilty as charged. But we can also be magnanimous. One of the best relievers in history plays for…the Evil Empire. Mariano Rivera is a stud. Our hats are off to you, you skinny, little guy with one pitch. Please retire soon (but not because of injury).

Rivera’s success provides a simple, important sales lesson. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! If the same intro letter has netted you new business for 10 or 15 years, keep using it. If giving a speech at the same association meeting always gets you work, continue. Say you write a lot of business on the golf course. Never change, at least until your spouse says, “enough golf already!”

On to football...Love him (we do) or hate him (many do),

Bill Belichick has a system. No detail is too small. He’s prepared for anything a football season can bring: injuries, new top-tier competitors, clubhouse dissension—you name it. Belichick’s teams are ready for just about anything…except the NY Giants. Oh, the pain, the pain! Admirers and detractors alike know the Belichick system is world-class. (Bring it on—we’re ready for the hate mail!)

Take a lesson from Big Bill. Put in a system at your printing business. Every day, opportunities charge toward your company at top speed. How do you make sure your teammates—i.e., everyone from your sales staff to your estimators to your CSRs—can move swiftly to plug the gaps and make those touchdown-saving tackles?

The answer: install an intelligent follow-up system. Train everyone at your business to identify all sales opportunities, and either follow up or transfer them to the appropriate person. This will help ensure all business opportunities are captured, and the best ones pursued with laser-like intensity. You’ll virtually never miss a tackle again. Your sales will grow like Tom Brady’s hair.

The sales world and the sports world aren’t so different. Success in both requires preparing, making adjustments and making sure no detail is overlooked. See ya on the field this summer! PI

—T.J. Tedesco, Bill Farquharson

About the Authors
T.J. Tedesco is team leader of Grow Sales, a 16-year-old marketing and PR services company. He wrote the newly-released “Direct Mail Pal 2012” and seven other books. Contact Tedesco at (301) 294-9900 or e-mail tj@growsales.com. Bill Farquharson is the president of Aspire For (www.AspireFor.com). His Sales Challenge can help drive your sales momentum. Contact Farquharson at (781) 934-7036 or e-mail bill@aspirefor.com.