By Bob Miller
Watching the British Open golf tournament from Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland, I couldn’t help but think about the similarities between these competitors and the professional salespeople who go out during the week to perfect their craft.
Salespeople meet all kinds of obstacles — cancelled appointments, people taking vacations, customers changing their minds, nursing homes getting bought out, etc. … They try different strategies on the customer and work diligently to perfect their spiel. They get in their car or go to the office, and make calls in a disciplined fashion, making sure not to miss any important points.
Not so different from Spieth, Molinari, McIlroy, Rose, Kisner, Chappell, Schauffele and Woods – all of whom were in contention to win the Open. They never gave up.
Tiger Woods made a statement that he is back and ready to compete. Jordan Spieth was leading for awhile, McIlroy was right there, and Kisner made a charge. The “steady eddy” turned out to be Francisco Molinari from Italy.
Molinaro was actually playing with Tiger, which is a tough feat in itself. He stayed the course, and didn’t have a bogey in the last 36 holes. Awesome. He made clutch putts over and over again.
At the 18th hole he was in a tie with about four other golfers. He went for it, and played aggressively. He had a great drive down the middle, went for the flag on his approach shot, and made a birdie to separate himself from the logjam. He went to 8 under and that was the winning score. He is the first Italian to win the Open. What a day for him.
Think about how hard these golfers practice, the repetition they go through, the many facets of the game they have to master — driving, chipping, putting, fairway woods. Just to be on the Tour means you have met a certain level on competency, both mentally and physically.
Attitude has a great deal to do with success. You may go in a bunker or sand trap, you may hit it in the woods or out of bounds. Regardless, you must finish the hole and make the best of it. Then you get to start all over again at the next hole.
That same kind of consistency is what it takes to be a professional salesperson. You strategize, work hard, close at every opportunity. You put in hours of preparation. You work on keeping your attitude positive, and educate yourself and establish priorities. You relish your time in front of customers to close the deal because that is where you get your satisfaction.
You persevere because you want to be in the game. You get turned down, you show up late for a call, or your customer just has one of those days where he doesn’t like you. This is where your mental toughness comes in, your positive attitude and your fresh start takes over on your next call. That’s the great thing about sales: You have unlimited opportunities with different customers.
When the opportunity presents itself, seize it! You’ve earned it.
Bob Miller is executive vice president of sales and vendor relations for Gericare Medical Supply, Monroeville, Alabama. He moonlights as Repertoire’s sports&sales correspondent. Want to talk sports – or sales – with Bob? Email him at bmiller@gericaremedicalsupply.com