Play like Michael Jordan

Today I'll start with a sports story. You don't need to know much about sports or any players to get the value of this post. Arguably one of the best basketball players of all time is Michael Jordan. And one of his best ever performances was while playing for the Chicago Bulls in a playoff game against the Utah Jazz. The Jazz took an early 16 point lead and many people felt there was no way Chicago could recover from this deficit. But to compound the effects of the Jazz lead, Michael Jordan had been diagnosed with a very bad stomach virus. Just by watching the game, one could see how sick and tired Michael was feeling that night. And at a time when many people would think "we're so far behind, and I'm so sick and tired, and I really should rest up for the next game," Michael stayed in the game and finished with 38 points and played for 44 minutes.

The way this relates to sales is simple. There are days we don't feel 100%. There are activities like networking, prospecting and cold calling that we don't like to do. What separates successful sales people from all the others is their commitment to getting the job done. No excuses. No substitutions. For example, if you need to build more business and have decided that networking is the way to do it, then stay focused and get it done. A good idea is to set a simple goal. Let's say you are going to a networking event, set a goal of meeting ten new people and collecting their cards before you leave. You'll be motivated to get in and out fast because you'll have the end in sight. It's the same thing Michael Jordan did in the game against the Utah Jazz. He simply focused on the goal of winning the game, and for 44 minutes he put everything he had into it. I'm sure he was wiped out afterwards, but he probably offset that feeling with his accomplishment for the night. There are many people who love going to networking events, but they don't end up with much business from them. There are others who don't enjoy networking, but are very effective at it because they focus on their goal, get it and out fast, and move on. You can use this same concept for cold calling, prospecting or many other areas of sales.

You don't have to be "on" all the time. Just a few minutes at the right time is all it takes. You can do that!