The Beautiful Game of Soccer And Sales In 90 minutes while watching a game, one can enjoy soccer and also pick up so many valuable lessons in sales management
By Pramoud Rao
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
I have been since time memorial mesmerized by the game of soccer. It's such a thrilling experience watching a fast-paced, action-packed soccer game. In almost 90 minutes flat while watching the game, one can enjoy the game and also pick up so many valuable lessons in sales management. There are several common touchpoints that the game and sales per se share in common; it's absolutely enticing.
Skills: If one needs to excel in sales, it's a must to have technical, tactical and practical skills to win over your opponent or competitor.
Values: The core values of any salesperson and his team comprise of attitude, honesty, performance, delivery and return on investments, both to the company he is working and for the customer he is serving.
Fitness: Like the proverbial, a fit mind has a fit body. It's important for a salesperson to maintain physical fitness, which will in turn allow for a faster body recovery caused due to work pressure, stress, and the endurance to fight any competition.
Training: Most salespersons don't like to attend training programmes. I am part of the herd as well, feeling the same, I hated every minute of training, but I tell myself, "Don't quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."
Discipline: It's a bridge between your goals and accomplishments. Without discipline, no salesperson can ever be successful in his career.
Ambition: A salesperson's worth can never be greater than his ambition. A salesperson without ambition is like a fish without water.
Passion: Passion is energy, passion makes impossible things happen, if you make your passion your purpose, success is ascertained. Salespersons then treat sales as fun, akin to playing soccer instead of it begin a mundane job.
Practice: Salespersons should practice as if they have never sold, practice like they have never lost an order. It's bettering the skill every time with practice, which makes a salesperson perfect over a period of time.
The winning spree: Winners are not people who never fail; they are people who never quit. Salesperson should always have a winning attitude, in adversity one should not break down, instead break records.
Money: This is the real sauce to any salesperson. You can make a million excuses or you can make a million dollars. The choice is yours, you can write your own pay cheques.
Be it the soccer game or business, there are certain qualities that define a winner. Overall, the right blend of attitude, determination to excel, and perseverance to emerge a winner makes all the difference. Obstacles may be many, but the goal should be set and that should be to reach the top.
