THE POWER OF DRAFTING… in the world of professional cycling there is a proven technique that has been used for decades. It is called Drafting. A simple premise, the lead cyclist creates a “wake of air” behind him. If you follow closely enough behind, the wake he/she creates actually pushes you forward. Scientists have proven that when you “draft” you exert 30 – 40% less effort!
It works like this…a team of cyclists will take turns being the lead rider and putting out the extra effort so that the following riders can use less energy. Later they then take their turn in the front of the pack. Using this approach, more gets done with the same amount of energy. This concept started me thinking about how it can be used in the Sales Business.
Here’s your ACTION STEP… if it has never been done before, it’s a lot tougher being the first one to do it. You are always the lead rider. Conversely, if you find someone who is currently doing (or has already done) what you want… just mirror them and you will get more done with less energy! A simple concept. Here’s some examples of components in your Sales Businesses that have already been done successfully before. Items you can mirror and match:
DRAFTING OPPORTUNITIES
1. Marketing and Advertising… keep it simple, make it unique, make it consistent
2. Daily Schedule… stop fighting it… lead generation is best done in the morning
3. Customer Presentations… less is more. The top producers have a precise presentation that follows a specific plan, it never varies
4. Handling Objections and Closing… what are the best Salespeople really saying?
5. Dealing with Rejection/Having a Strong Mindset… how do the “lead riders” stay mentally tough?
One final point… a Significant Caution… when you pick a particular “drafting opportunity” that you want to mirror/duplicate, make sure you do exactly that. Do it exactly the way it was done earlier. Do not question it, do not change it, keep your ego out of the way and just duplicate it! If you change the way it was already successfully done then you are no longer “drafting”… you are outside the Peloton (the main group of riders) and you are on your own. More energy is required… you are in essence, riding uphill! Just follow the map that someone else has already created and you will be more successful…and you will do it faster. Start pedaling! NO Excuses.