Watching Tiger Woods win his fifth Masters, his 15th major, and his first since 2008 was incredible. We are all aware of the challenges Tiger has endured over the last ten years, some self inflicted, some not. Regardless of where you stand with Tiger, there are two facts that cannot be denied and both are shared by the most successful sales people in the world.
First, his grit. Grit can be defined by many words. Some that rise to the top are; determination, fortitude, and toughness. Tiger owns them all in spades. Given his place in history and financial security (multi-generational wealth) it would be easy for Tiger to step out of the spotlight, sail into the sunset, and enjoy his retirement. After a nasty divorce, addiction to pain killers, four back surgeries, the latest spinal fusion surgery, no one would begrudge him for that decision. His immortal place in history would still be engraved on the Mount Rushmore of golf with the likes of Palmer, Nicklaus, and Hogan.
The top performers in sales own grit in spades as well. On the road to "yes" there are many "no's". It takes incredible intestinal fortitude and resolve the pursue and win business in SaaS selling. As I have spoken about in the past, the challenges are really tough, evidenced by the fact that only 46% of sales people hit their annual targets. The odds of winning at the craps table in Vegas are higher, which is crazy. I am also a firm believer that "grit" cannot be taught. It comes from within and is typically shaped by your life experiences early in your development.
Although "grit" is a critical success factor that enabled Tiger Woods win his fourth Masters, it's only one side of the coin. The other side has to do with his experience, intelligence, and skill level. In golf, intelligence and skill level can be defined in many ways; the way you read the course, the right club selection, proper swing mechanics, and the ability to focus deeply when under pressure. One of the most famous holes (12th) at Augusta is referred to as Amen Corner. It's a par three and only 155 yards in length but the name speaks volumes. This hole has determined the fate of many golfers on Sunday at the Masters. Yesterday was no different. Four players, all in contention, plopped their tee shots short of the green and into Rae's Creek, resulting in double bogies for each. Meanwhile, Tiger, utilizing his superior golf intelligence and Sage experience, selected the right club, chose a more conservative landing spot to aim for, and executed a beautiful swing. His shrewd approach resulted in landing the ball on the green, two-putting, and scoring par. It was the turning point of the tournament.
How Tiger approached Amen Corner is the same as professional selling. In professional sales one must have "conversational selling intelligence". It's your version of reading the course properly, selecting the right club, and executing the swing. In other words, it's the knowledge and skill of when and how to have impactful conversations with buyers that create, qualify, close and grow demand for your solutions. It's how to elevate buyer urgency, weed out ghost deals early in the cycle, advance opportunities through the pipeline effectively, and close winning deals. In golf, everybody can have the same exact clubs, but that does not determine how you score. The same is true in sales. We all have access to the same equipment; tech such as Salesforce, a selling methodology like challenger, value, or sandler. The difference is how you apply that equipment when engaged with buyers. The higher your "conversational selling intelligence" the better you will perform. If interested in learning more feel free to access a short podcast discussion here.
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