It’s August, which means we’re right smack in the middle of the “dog days” — the hottest, most taxing point of the baseball season, sandwiched between the refreshing charm of spring baseball and the mad rush for playoff glory — when players are often battered, beaten, tired and just hanging on for when September brings with it a rush of cool air and a renewed sense of purpose and opportunity.
Naturally, this reminded me of being in sales, where the hopeful potential of a fresh new quarter gives way to those fatigued mid-to-late quarter dog days of working opportunities with persistence through a pipeline, culminating in a great and inspired final push for victory at quarter or year’s end.
With those similarities in mind, here are some lessons the game of baseball can teach salespeople, and they just so happen to be in GIFs! — from swinging and missing on an opportunity, to hitting one out of the park at the end of the quarter with the quota hanging in the balance:
When you work in sales, sometimes your sale gets picked off by a competitor…
or you call a prospect and just get the runaround…
but if you work on honing your skills…
so when you go to pitch, you confidently throw a strike…
and learn when you need a different pitch…
you’ll start seizing opportunities with increasing precision…
while helping your team put some wins on the board.
But, it’s a humbling game, not every pitch can be a hit…
so when you get a good one, put your best swing on it…
and when the quarter’s on the line, make sure you don’t miss it…
because if you win enough, your team can be champions…
but don’t enjoy it too long, next season is right around the corner!
