UNDERSTANDING WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE… the Washington Capitals NHL hockey team are a very good team. Start with their Captain, Alexander Ovetchkin….amazing! Near the end of December 2010 they had a stretch of bad games. As a matter of fact in the last eight games of the year they had six losses and two ties (0-6-2). In a word… terrible. Recently in March 2011 they have gone through a stretch of 11 wins and only one loss (11-1-0). Big difference! How does that happen?
Here is your ACTION STEP… during an interview the other day their coach, Bruce Boudreau was asked how they could go from such poor results in December to being in a position of winning their division in March?!! His answer is something all Salespeople should understand. Mr. Boudreau replied that "Because we were doing all the right things during that stretch of losses, I was not worried. The fact is sometimes, no matter what you do… the puck does not go in the net!". As usual, some of the simplest statements turn out to be the most profound. Here is how you can apply this philosophy to your Sales Business:
1. Have a Plan where your activities equal your goals. Make sure what you do adds up to Success.
2. Follow through on these activities day after day after day… be Consistent.
3. CRITICAL POINT… Have Faith that you will be rewarded in a reasonable period of time.
When asked for his "formula for success", one of my Coaching clients said it best the other day… "Work hard, be consistent, and have faith". Some days, some weeks, and even some months!… "the puck does not go in the net". Keep skating, keep shooting, and you will always "score" in the end. The best piece of advice of all is to have a plan and stay the course. NO Excuses.