It's no secret that Tiger Woods plays to win. He plays to win every time he tees up the little white ball. Most of his competitors however play to place. To place in the top 10, top 25, top 50, etc. I have a theory about aiming. I believe you get what you aim for. Adjust your aim and always aim higher if you want to achieve better results. If it works for Tiger you can make it work for you.
T.I.G.E.R.
Here are some ideas based on my observations how Tiger Woods wins golf tournaments.
T => Time. He takes time to plan and prepare for every golf shot. Adjusting for the wind is important. He's looking at treetops, cloud formations and movements, and tossing grass in the air to get a feel for the wind's direction and speed. He's totally focused.
In sales, you should plan and prepare for every sales call. Put your sales call objectives in writing. Before you knock on any Customer's door take a moment to visualize a successful sales call.
I => Inventive. Tiger is inventive. He's never boring. He takes calculated risks, especially when the payoff is big. He also practices the difficult shots that he takes during a tournament. His current statistics include: #1 in scoring average, #2 in driving distance, #1 greens in regulation, #3 birdies, and #3 sand saves. He's the complete golf package. He's totally focused.
How inventive and creative are you in your sales territory? Are you working to convert your shortcomings into strengths? Are you able to cite six things you're doing differently during the last 60 days? Do you take risks on a daily basis? Do you practice your selling skills in your car or do you practice them in your customer's office? How often do you ask the question "How can I do it better"? Are you the complete selling package?
G => Goals. He has them and shares them. One of his goals is to win every tournament he plays in. I can't imagine anyone else in professional golf having that goal. There are players and spectators. I can't help feeling that some of the players on the PGA Tour become spectators when Tiger's in the tournament. He's totally focused.
To increase your sales set very specific sales, GP$, G.P. margin, appointment, presentation, proposal, and closing ratio goals for yourself.
Always, always, always aim higher than the sales quota you are given by your company. Remember you get what you aim for. So why in the world don't you aim higher?
E => Energy and enthusiasm. Tiger is in great physical shape. He was the last one to leave the driving range Saturday night. From my position near the tee box I observed all the players as they walked from the 16th green to the 17th tee. After 16 holes on that extremely hilly and oftentimes wet Black Course, many golfers slumbered up to the 17th tee. Not Tiger Woods though. He marched up to the tee box, with a "I can't wait to hit the ball" look in his eyes. He's totally focused.
In sales, many of the people you call on lack enthusiasm and suffer from lower energy levels. They always respond more positively to enthusiastic and high-energy salespeople. If you get excited about your products so will your customers.
R => Results. Tiger gets results. Enough said. While stationed on the 17th tee I couldn't believe all the distractions the golfers had to deal with. At one point I could hear mounted police and their horses hitting the pavement 20 yards behind the tee, to the right of the tee a beeping horn of a truck backing up on a service road, crying babies, laughing adults and being drenched from a downpour. He's totally focused.
Tiger gets results because he can focus on the task at hand and eliminate all distractions - I mean all distractions.
In sales, how much more effective would you be if you spent more time focusing on your customers and less time dueling with your distractions?
What the sales world needs now is less multitasking and more customer focus. To win more sales YOU NEED TO BE TOTALLY FOCUSED.
I hope you can apply some of the lessons from the game of golf to the business of selling.
