I was golfing about this time last year with my friend, Peter. He and I were in a tournament at our club and while his shots were crisp and precise, I felt like I was aerating the course as my divots outpaced my shots.
It was a frustrating day.
Peter is a patient man and has, no doubt, played with his share of angry golfers. He is not one to offer unsolicited advice, something I truly admire about any playing partner! Somewhere deep in the round, however, he delivered this gem straight down the middle of my fairway: “Bill, don’t try to get it all back in one swing.”
The frustration of that day has long faded, but that line has stuck with me. The golf gods are cruel and the game is fickle. You can be a different golfer on the front nine as you are the back nine. Case in point: the 44 I shot on the front nine and the 54 I stumbled through on the back nine last week. Ending a string of bad holes starts with just one good shot.
There is a similarity with sales. We’ve all lived through long stretches without any orders being placed. Call after call without any luck. Add a few cancelled orders and perhaps the loss of a client and, well…I suppose this is the equivalent of aerating the course with a golf club. You can’t expect to make up for days or weeks of the doldrums all in one sales call. What it takes in both golf and sales is a return to the fundamentals and adhering to Peter’s advice.
A good swing thought + A positive attitude.
The right club choice + The right target market.
Proper club take away + Call preparation.
A smooth swing + An effective sales call.
Follow through + Follow-through.
Work to have a good sales call. And then, another. Follow that with five more. Finish the day strong and be prepared for the following day. Then, do it again. And again.
You won’t get it all back in just one sales call. Don’t try. Instead, keep it simple and basic and practice, practice, practice. That is, make the calls, make the calls, make the calls.
Diligence is paramount!
