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Gold Medal Selling

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: How the Formula for Beating the 1980 Soviet Hockey Team Can Help You Beat Your Biggest Competitor.

Gold Medal Selling



"Do you believe in miracles? YES!" were the words play-by-play man Al Michaels yelled as the US Olympic Hockey team defeated the "unbeatable" Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics. If you are old enough to remember that game, you are old enough to remember the exhilaration and pride that all Americans felt as a band of college and amateur players took on an opponent that was bigger, more talented, more skilled and a whole lot faster.

The lesson we learned was that talent alone does not create winners. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Rob McClanahan on my weekly radio show. Rob was one of the key players on that Gold Medal team, and everything he said applied to business: These were his lessons from that victory over the Soviets on the way to the gold:

1. You control your ability. Ability comes in two ways. You are either born with it, or you acquire it. The great thing is, you can be born with less ability than somebody else but choose to work harder to acquire more. The "starting" point may not be your choice, but the "ending" point is. So what are the ways YOU can increase your ability? The best way is to dedicate time each week to work on it.

2. Enjoy every moment of preparation as much as you enjoy the victory. This one isn't easy. Playing the game is a lot more fun than practicing, isn't it? But enjoying prep and practice time is a choice, and one that has a direct impact on business "game day." For instance, are you somebody who dreads attending the sales meeting because you won't get anything out of it? Or are you the type who looks forward to getting new ideas from peers, leaders and partners? Are you the type that would rather jump off a bridge than "role play" a sales or leadership coaching scenario? Or are you the type that, despite the pain, knows the only way you can become great at selling is by practicing selling. You see, it's a choice. And by choosing to enjoy learning and practice time, rather than loath it, you will be more apt to do it. And by out practicing your sometimes-stronger competition, you will outperform them on game day. So what exactly should you practice?

Salespeople should craft then practice delivering the following:

• The introduction you use on a cold call that will create respect and trust, then curiosity.
• The specific questions you ask to find out what the prospect likes and doesn't like about their current supplier
• The under 25 second "elevator pitch" you use when a prospect asks, "Who are you and what makes you so much better than the competition?"
• Common responses to common objections like, "Your competition is cheaper. I want to think about it. I never did business with your company."
• The exact wording to use when trying to up sell or cross sell a prospect. For example, "Before I go, would you be interested in hearing about a product that is helping other clients...(add benefit).

Managers and leaders should prepare and practice the following:

• Questions that will be used to create trust in a coaching session
• Questions that will get the employee to open up and be honest
• Responses to be used IF an employee brings up a question or concern
• Exactly what to say to close a coaching session or meeting that will create action

So prepare the above and practice the delivery of each...and enjoy doing it! And watch how that enjoyment turns to confidence in front of your customer (either internal or external). And that confidence will turn into more orders and commitments.

3. Dream Big Things- Coach of the 1980 Gold Medal team Herb Brooks said it well when he said:

We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams.

So what do you dream for yourself in the second half of 2009? What does your business "Miracle" look like? Perhaps it's a dream about winning that impossible account? Maybe it's standing at the awards podium at your next sales meeting as your company's top performer? Maybe it's imagining the elation you will feel when you, despite the odds, do something that even your peers never thought possible.

So this week, when somebody asks you if you believe in "Miracles," think of that day when a coach and a group of young Americans taught us that whether it's sports, business or life, the answer to that question should be a resounding, "YES!"

Related Articles
  Lessons from Bonnie St. John
  There's Gold in Them There EBay Hills!
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  Gold Medals? Or Alligators?
  ENTREPRENEUR STEVE GIORDANELLA IS WALKING ON AIR THESE DAYS (OR MAYBE WATER) AFTER OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST DARA TORRES CREDITS HIS OLYMPIC GOLD AMINOS FOR HELPING HER TO BECOME OLDEST FEMALE EVER TO COMPETE IN OLYMPICS
  Five Secrets to Creating a “Goal” Medal Life – Part II
  Chicken or Beef?
  Do You Believe In Miracles? Olympic Gold for Teamwork and Motivation
  Believe You Me
  Teamwork
  The Success Formula: Success = Results Delivered X Fulfillment Lived
  Are You Going for the Gold in Your Life?
  What does Bodie Miller Have to Do with Your Success?
  Gold Will Shine Once Again in 2009! (Part 2)
  Want Success? Take a Lesson From Lindsey Vonn
  Five Ways to Show Honest Appreciation
  Golden Income Opportunities in Retirement
  Building a successful legacy one purposeful act at a time
  Three Feet From Gold...A lesson in the consequences of quitting before reaching your goal
  My 2012 Gold Forecast

Article Tags: becoming a winner, coaching lessons, cold calls, communication skills, creating trust, dreams, gold medal, handling objections, insurance sales training, leadership skills, management tips, medical sales training, miracles, Olympics, pitch, practice, precise selling, sales tactics, sales training, saying yes



Related Forum Posts
Congratulations - Hi Shri, Congratulations to your win. Next time you will go for the 'Gold Medal'. This does not happen everyday. All the hard work is paying you off. We wish you well for future projects you have in mind. Be encouraged! Kindest Regards Beat "Unlock People's Potentials!"
Re: When something's suffered damage it becomes more beautiful. - This one is for David and all. David lives in Japan I have traveled, lived or worked in over 55 countries, and while we continue to remember the history and barbaric nature of war brought on by few then and now, our various cultures, religions, etc, I find the real beauty is not in the Gold, but in the majority of the people. who ever they are and from where ever they come. Our Japanese craftsman in this piece, showed his beauty to us through his work through the use of Gold to mend this dish. I am further reminded of the power of God with the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. I was truly amazed at how the beauty of the people came through the crisis. Lines and lines of people all organized waiting their turn; there was no shoving, pushing, do you know who I am mentality, or me first. The sick, disabled and the elderly were given priority not by the organizer by the people I wrote of this discipline in a article for Ezine, but it wasn't accepted. I guess it fell outside my declared resources Our maker gives us beauty, and it may be destroyed by the maker as a reminder, or perhaps by 1 or more of us through war after war, the beauty of the majority must survive and bring back the beauty for all to see .
Re: Kevin's Case Study #10 - When to become an entrepreneur? - When the bug bite you. A lot of successful entrepreneurs started in their teens or at school. Selling sweets to fellow students or lemonade to firends in the neighbourhood.
Re: This is Marketing Warfare! - Hey GT, I guess this was from a while back, and it'll test your memory a bit but could you possibly elaborate on Unique Selling Proposition? Can you give us some examples of good USPs?
Starting New Business Venture would like some tips - Hello I am new to this website and just want to say its awesome!! currently I am involved in a new business venture, I am new to the business world and I would like some extra help on this subject. Our company specializes in Custom Gold Foil Printed Ribbon, and Personalized Products (Napkins, Buttons Etc). so if anyone has any ideas of where to go, who to contact, or even if your looking for these types of products yourself, let me know and any tips to help me out it would be greatly appreciated.


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