The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat

Salespeople always like to compare themselves to athletes when describing their profession, and nowhere does the analogy apply more than in the Winter Olympics. Here’s a few business—and life—lessons I’ve taken from watching the Olympic games thus far:

It’s not over until it’s over. U.S. women’s boardercross competitor Lindsey Jacobellis lost a huge lead and the gold medal when an unnecessary trick caused her to crash and burn in sight of the finish line. Jacobellis initially said the midair maneuver was necessary to stabilize herself during the jump, but later conceded there may have been some grandstanding going on. Likewise, in business, it’s not over until the client has signed on the bottom line. Don’t get too confident that all those promises of business will fill your pipeline—your competitors are always right behind you, regardless of how far ahead you think you are.

Always be ready to seize an opportunity. When Michelle Kwan suddenly pulled herself out of the competition due to a groin injury, backup skater Emily Hughes was called in as her replacement. Though at a disadvantage because she only had about a week to prepare, Hughes was happy and seems ready to go (she skates today in the ladies' short program). Sales pros also need to be prepared to take on any opportunity that presents itself—you just never know when the right prospect will come calling.

Be ready to recover from defeat. The Chinese pairs figure skaters didn’t expect to crash so badly only seconds into their routine, but they bounced back to win the silver. When female figure skater Zhang Dan limped off the ice, only to return with her partner and complete the routine flawlessly, they showed true mettle. More than anyone else in the business world, salespeople have to deal with rejection on a continuous basis. But the A players are the ones who can shake it off and are always looking ahead to their next victory.

Recognition matters. I’m sure there will be tons more lessons to learn as the Winter games progress, but perhaps the biggest one managers can take from the competition is the power of recognition—the Olympics has always been a good model for employee recognition programs. Most of the athletes don’t do it for the cash, they do it to show the world they are the best of the best—an experience that money can’t buy.

Comments

[Ed Delia]

I also used the Olympics as a learning tool, but applied it to branding:

What can the Olympics teach us about branding? In a word…plenty!

1. Single-minded focus produces limitless rewards.

2. Competition brings out the best in all of us.

3. Symbols can be powerful communicators.

4. There are no shortcuts to victory.

5. The back-story is the BIG story.

See www.delianet.com for the full story

[julia]

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from this blogpost, which makes me think salespeople really are the athletes of the business world. Thanks for your comments.

[Dan Tudor]

Great reminder on sticking with it if you're in sales. Loved the corrolation between athletes and salespeople and you're right, salespeople do love to identify with athletes. Thanks for a great post.