Bank Sales Corner

The Game Before the Game: Lessons for Sales Leaders

  

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Football is something that I watch occasionally on TV.  The Eagles (“Iggles”) to see what people will be talking about on Monday morning.  An occasional SEC matchup—“Go Dawgs”  and “Roll, Tide, Roll” as I’m folding laundry on a Saturday night. The truth is I’d rather watch reruns of the English Premier League on the Fox Soccer Channel anytime.

So when my youngest son invited me to join him at a Big Ten football game last October I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself in to.  All I knew was that it was going to cost money—my son isn’t at the stage in his life where he can spring for tickets.  But when your  teenage offspring invites you to do anything on a Saturday afternoon (maybe other than relieving him of his duty to cut the lawn) you’ll happily drive 7 hours to do it.

 The prospect of watching a game with 110,000 other people wasn’t quite as daunting as the challenge of parking within walking distance of the stadium. Armed with directions from a local banker, though, I managed to find the designated lot and my son without too much difficulty.

Chris had warned me about the tailgating rituals that accompany all home games. Probably because he didn’t want me to become too familiar with how he and his buddies spent every other Saturday in the fall, he quickly ushered me into Beaver Stadium, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions, a good 90 minutes before kickoff. At least 109,950 fans were still tailgating when we took our seats.

What was unfolding before our eyes was fascinating—the game before the game, the warm-up drills that both the Penn State and University of Michigan teams were engaged in to steel themselves for the contest. This wasn’t a desultory layup drill before an NBA basketball game. These guys were really working up a sweat rehearsing game situations.

Punters were launching 60 yard spirals; running backs were taking pitchouts on simulated sweeps; linebackers and defensive backs were covering pass receivers. To my surprise, there was even some spirited blocking and tackling to prepare for the game.

The coaches—and boy, there were a lot of them—were very much in evidence. The days when football teams had a head coach, an offensive coach, a defensive coach and somebody working with special teams are long gone. I’m guessing that each squad had 12 to 15 coaches, each working with a handful of position players.

Nothing that was going on hadn’t been practiced many times before. The last minute instructions to starters and scrubs alike probably contained no new information. So why such an elaborate pre-game ritual?

There is a physical component to be sure. Stretching under the watchful eyes of trainers is designed to cut down on injuries.  But my hunch is that the real benefit is mental. Coaches are trying to create the focus and discipline that teams need to be successful in pressure situations. Every handoff or passing drill is choreographed with the assumption that this could be “the play” that determines the outcome of a close game.

So what does this have to do with managing a sales team? Aristotle wrote that “We are what we repeatedly do.” While he hadn’t ever seen a Big Ten game either, he was right about the long-term benefits of repetition. If you want your sales team to be ready for their Saturday showdowns, steal this from Joe Paterno’s (or Bobby Bowden’s or Pete Carroll’s or fill-in-your favorite team’s coach’s) pregame playbook:

1. Work on sales situations with small groups. Role-play if you think it will help people get ready for difficult calls. Simulations inspire confidence.
2. No matter how many calls your sales team members have made in the past, they need to be mentally prepared for the next one. Their success—and yours—depends upon it. Ask yourself whether you are doing enough to make sure they’re in the right frame of mind.
3. Great coaches are skilled at breaking things down for their players. You need to show people how to accomplish the task at hand whether it’s getting a first appointment with an elusive prospect or negotiating a loan agreement with a longtime customer. It’s about helping your team master the little details.
4. Each week you can influence your team through sales meetings and one-on-one coaching. Plan in advance what you need to communicate.  Sales meetings need agendas that drive home the messages that your team needs to hear. Coaching sessions also need to be orchestrated with definite goals in mind.

Treating the game before the game seriously will make your team more successful. And that’s what leadership is all about, whether your team is composed of 300 pound linemen or business bankers.

A postscript: This was October 2008. Penn State prevailed in the game. I found my car in the parking lot. If Chris invites me back for another game, I’ll suggest we get to our seats early to watch the teams warming up.

For more on coaching the prospecting process, check out the new Prospecting Clinic webinar series.  In eight 30 minute sessions you and your team will get practical techniques and tools that will help them in the following areas:

• Building a prospect list
• Working effectively with gatekeepers
• Preparing for the first call on a prospect
• Getting referrals from satisfied customers
• What to do on a first appointment with a prospect
• How to build a relationship with a CPA
• How to restart the conversation with a prospect after “losing” a deal to the incumbent bank
• What to do when the prospect stops returning your calls

For more information about the series or to arrange a complimentary preview of “Building a Great Prospect List,” call Susan Lersch at 610-296-4771 or email her at susan.lersch@mzbierlyconsulting.com.