I just ran my 5th half marathon (21.1 km).
The training and actual sales race allowed me to do lots of thinking during the run and how it relates to sales – especially as we move into the fourth quarter and get closer to the sales finish line.
Let me share what I learned about sales during this half marathon…
This race was a little tougher for me; I did it on my own because my usual running buddies were not able to make it. One thing I learned early in sales, each salesperson always has their own sales goal but working on a team with other salespeople has allowed me to push myself to keep up to their sales achievements.
Running and sales can be an individual sport; however being a part of a team, empowers us to achieve more and rise to a higher performance level. My husband, Tom drove me to race and I was looking for the pace bunny – as they have been a great coach to help me keep my pace and I enjoy running with others. This was a smaller race, no pace bunny…so I was going to have to rely on myself to complete this race. I thought no problem, “I will do this!”
Like in sales, I always start strong for the first 5-6 kilometers. In this race, my first kilometer was record time – it was downhill and it was easy to get caught up in the excitement. Just like the beginning of the new sales year, many salespeople are strong out of the blocks to have a strong 1st quarter. Our Teneo 1st quarter is always the strongest–just like I run!
The next 5 kilometers was tougher – just like Q2.
Hills, warmer than normal temperatures and my confidence started to erode. At the 10 kilometer mark, my husband was waiting for me with Gatorade and his coaching support. It helped me to pick up my pace. At the 14 kilometer mark, I met Terry – a 21 year Western University student who was struggling and his girlfriend left him in the dust. My coaching kicked in and I encouraged him to run with me. We were great for each other, our pace picked up and we enjoyed the conversation.
The next few kilometers actually became easier as we moved into the home stretch of the final 5km. Again, I run like I sell and Q4 picks up momentum and energy. At the 19km mark, Tom surprised me to run the last 2 km with me…along with my new running buddy – Terry! There were two brutal hills in this final stretch, but we crossed the finish line with vigor and a great feeling of accomplishment.
It was SO worth it!
Here’s what I learned about sales through this half marathon:
- Its sucks to do it by yourself, you become stronger and keep the pace when you are surrounded by others and a coach (Tom)
- Sales and running are both about positive self talk and confidence. We can be our own worst enemy to sabotage our success and discourage ourselves. Terry and I created a mantra “We will do this!”
- Consistency – to keep a consistent pace through the race and throughout the year – its’ what I have to work on in my next running race.
- It takes lots of hard work, conditioning and a can-do attitude to complete both a half marathon and a great sales year – and well worth it, when you cross the finish line!
Thought Provoking Question – what will you do this quarter to pick up your pace & confidence – empowering yourself to finish your sales year with vigor and a great feeling of accomplishment?
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.