A few months ago I sent out an application that, if accepted, would allow me to accomplish a personal goal I have wanted to undertake since I was a kid: running the Boston Marathon. I ultimately made the decision to run the 2014 Boston Marathon as an official and registered runner when our city was sent into lockdown following the events of last year’s marathon, a scary period of time I know we all remember.
In my training, I have found that there are many qualities of successful selling that also pertain to successful distance-running. So, here are 26 tips (get it?) that both sales professionals and long-distance runners need in order to succeed.
1. Get a good night sleep
Your body needs sleep to function at its maximum capacity. You don’t want to be wiping the sleep out of your eyes when you are starting your day. Keep in mind that your competitors have already been up for at least an hour and are ready to go. It’s never good to start the day playing catch up.
2. Have a good breakfast
Along with sleep, your body needs fuel to really work to its full potential. Skip the greasy breakfast sandwich and give yourself something that will keep you energized and alert. You’d be surprised how much of a difference a good breakfast can have on your overall attitude for the day.
3. Warm up
You don’t want to start running hard with cold muscles just as you don’t want to go into your first call cold. Take 10-15 minutes to prep. Anticipate questions and have the answers ready. Know who you are going to be speaking with.
If you have spoken with that person in the past, try to recall something from your last conversation to warm up the conversation with a little rapport; it makes a world of difference to connect with someone on that personal level versus just rattling off another sales pitch.
4. Remember your training
Both in a marathon and in sales, it’s crucial to look back on your training and what you have taken away from it: product knowledge, structure and execution. Sometimes it’s just basics that we need to reach our goals. No need to complicate things.
5. Focus on form
Just like in running, in sales you need to think about the structure or form for your calls. Stand up straight, shoulders back, chest out. This shows confidence that reflects both in your appearance and your voice.
Even if you are speaking with someone on the phone, try to maintain this form. People can hear when you slouch and it drains the energy from your conversation.
6. Know your competition
For the marathon, I have looked and ran over every bit of the course. I know every hill, every flat and every turn. This is just as important in sales. Know what your competition is and what you need to do to overcome it.
7. Look the part
Take pride in your personal appearance because “When you look good, you feel good!” A little extra effort in the morning can result in confidence throughout the day.
You may be thinking, “But I sell over the phone. I don’t even see my prospect”. That may be true but even how you look to co-workers is a representation of self-image. Leave the sweat-suit reserved for Rocky’s training montage.
Photo Courtesy of IMDB
8. Take it one step at a time
It’s a marathon, remember – not a sprint. Don’t try to cram your pitch into 30 seconds; people want to have a conversation. Take your time to make sure everything is covered. It’s better to schedule another meeting rather than rushing everything – there is no need to exhaust yourself.
9. Know when to take a break
This is an extremely important part of running and sales that people try to ignore. You need to listen to what your body is telling you. If you are frustrated with a call you just had, don’t rush into another. The negative attitude is going to carry with you into that meeting.
Instead, take 5 minutes for a quick walk to clear your head and come back refreshed. Pushing yourself too hard without a rest is not a testament to how strong or dedicated you are. It’s ultimately very counterproductive.
10. Recover
This goes hand in hand with the previous tip. Both your body and your mind need days to recover. When your workday is complete, it’s OK and healthy to shut off your cell phone. When you are out of the office, there’s no need to check your email every 5 seconds.
By balancing hard work with proper recovery, you are building your endurance. Without recovery, you are denying your skills the time to strengthen and grow by stretching your energy too thin. With that being said, don’t use recovery as an excuse to be lazy.
11. Use the right equipment
I need to replace my running shoes about every 300-500 miles. If not, they will become warn out and can result in injury. At work, know what presentation tools you can update to keep things as fresh as possible; there are other things out there besides PowerPoint (though it can be every effective if used properly). Even simple things like updating software can make your life much more efficient if you are using it correctly.
You want to give yourself every edge you can.
12. Think Positively
Don’t let negative thoughts enter your mind. If you look up a hill and say, “There is no way I can make it up that beast” or enter a meeting thinking, “This guy will never buy from me” then you will fail. Know that you have the ability to reach your goals and tell yourself you can do it.
Thinking positively is not going to close every deal for you, but thinking negatively will set yourself up for failure.
13. Don’t think you know everything
You can learn from coaches, peers, co-workers and superiors. Just because you are having a solid stretch of success doesn’t mean you have mastered your trade. You can always learn from others to fine tune your own skills – even if it’s learning what not to do.
14. Know what works best for you
Consider a variety of approaches to your goal and find what works best. Some people like to have a cup of coffee before a run. Others may only want water. Some salespeople are aggressive and hard-push all the way. Others have a more passive approach.
Try out a variety of approaches and see what works best for you. With that being said…
15. Don’t try anything new on race day
Yes, it’s important to try new styles and approaches to figure out what will work best to achieve your goals, but the time for that experimentation is not during the closing call of a huge account. Trust what you know and execute based on what you know works.
16. Think about what motivates you
Write down what you want to achieve so you can look at it every day, knowing what it will take to accomplish it: “I will run 45 miles this week” or “I want to buy a house by the end of the year.” Look at these notes every day and visualize your moment of achievement.
17. Know the industry
Stay up-to-date on what people are talking about. The internet is an amazing tool to access mountains of information. You can learn new view points and hear what key players in the industry are discussing. With this information, you can create natural conversations and provide insight on new developments.
Again, there is always something new to learn.
18. Fuel yourself throughout the day
During a long run you need to fuel yourself during your workout. I’m usually eating a banana every 45 minutes of a long trek. Have some healthy snacks available to you at your desk to give you a pick-me-up throughout the day. Smaller more frequent meals are going to make you feel a lot better and give you more energy than fast food binges.
19. Exercise
This seems like a given but it is so important to be healthy and active. So make sure that you are getting at least a couple days of physical activity into your weekly routine. Exercising releases endorphins and will make you sharper as well as happier overall. Being a happy person will make life more enjoyable both in and outside of the workplace.
20. Challenge yourself
Don’t become content and ride off your successes. It’s good to be satisfied with hard work, but use that as motivation to see what else you may be capable of.
21. Set proper expectations
It is good to challenge yourself, but you don’t want to kill yourself either. Know your limits. You want to set proper expectations for yourself and your prospects.
Sometimes it’s difficult to give the honest answer if you know it won’t be received well. But in the long run, you’ll only be ruining the relationship by being dishonest. Keeping everyone on the same page is the best way to avoid confusion, pain and awkward confrontations.
22. LISTEN
It’s important for me to listen to my body both when I run as well as when prospects speak. When a client is talking, don’t just hear the words they are saying while thinking about what you want to reply with. Give yourself a moment to process what they really are trying to convey to you. Sometimes that pause will even encourage them to speak again and give you the information they really want you to know.
23. Don’t let failure/rejection get the best of you
In athletic training (and sometimes the cruel world of sales), we are all bound to be exposed to failure. Do not let this get you down. If everyone succeeded in what they set out to do on the first try, it would make for a very boring world.
Success tastes that much better after the sting of a few rejections. Stay positive and motivated. Remind yourself that for every “no” you must face, you are getting one step closer to a “yes” and accomplishing your goals.
24. Stay focused on your goal
Know what you want and know what you need to do to achieve it. Think about this every day, every run and every call. You are the one in control of what your future holds and it’s up to you to do everything you can to get what you want out of life.
25. The race is over but you’re not finished yet
Post-call or post-workout, efforts are just as important as the event itself. You need to give yourself the proper time to stretch and refuel. This needs to be done immediately after you finish the task at hand.
If you wait 15-30 minutes to recall/note the conversation you had with a prospect, you are going to forget key points of information and hurt yourself. As soon as you leave a meeting, write down the notes from the call as well as setting the time for a proper follow-up.
26. Prove yourself everyday
Don’t take yesterday’s accomplishments for today’s satisfaction. Look at every day as a new challenge and a new opportunity to show yourself how you can always exceed expectations. This will only result in growth and continual forward progression, both physically and professionally.
Exhausted? I know I am. As I am sure you can imagine, the competition to run as part of a team was at an all-time high this year and thus the fundraising goals followed suit. Please take an extra minute to check out my page and give back to an organization that has done so much for not only those affected by the bombings of last year, but for people in need of emergency care every single day.
Visit http://www.teamtuftsmc.org/poleary to donate and truly keep us #BostonStrong. Feel free to pass along this information to anyone (friends, family, past co-workers etc) you think may be able to give/help!
Thank you so much for reading and for all your support!
Have questions for Pat? Or just want to leave well-wishes? Leave them in the comments section below!
Colleen Jones explains:
