Thirty sales leaders from across the U.S. recently joined NBA great Jamal Mashburn and LevelEleven CEO Bob Marsh in “The Sales Coach’s Clipboard,” a webinar that shared tips for better sales coaching. Were you one of them?
If not, we’ve got you covered. We now have a 25-minute recap of the webinar available here.
And if you just can’t wait to find out what a former NBA All Star learned on the court that can make you a better sales leader, we’ve also got you covered. Get a sneak peek below at three of the lessons you’ll learn and what Jamal has to say about them.
But first, just in case you wonder how lessons learned in basketball really apply to business, here’s what Jamal has to say: “I look at sports as being a part of sales. Professional athletes are in sales and in marketing. If you don’t perform, you don’t get your next contract. Nobody wants to come see you. That affects if you can sell tickets and you can sell suites, and it affects if you can sell advertising.”
In fact, Jamal uses many of the things he learned as a professional athlete in his role as a successful entrepreneur today. And he does so across the numerous companies where he has ownership interest, which span restaurant franchises, car dealerships, real estate and the thoroughbred horse racing industry. (He has also invested in LevelEleven.)
Okay, now on to those lessons:
1: Just because you made it to the top of your sales team doesn’t mean you should stop seeking knowledge.
Jamal says: “My philosophy is to always be a lifelong learner. Even though I played professional sports, that doesn’t mean I mastered the game of basketball. I’m always constantly learning and looking for different things. If I can get 1% better that’s a huge jump.”
2: Micromanaging your sales reps can hamper their growth.
3: You need to take genuine interest in the well-being and development of the individuals on your sales team.
Jamal says: “I played for a championship coach in Pat Riley and also Rick Pitino, and the one common denominator amongst the both of them that set them apart? It wasn’t just strategy or that they can draw up a play. It was they were sincere and totally vested in your development. When that happens and when you show support and you’re honest and when you get people that will run through a wall for you, those are the championship coaches. If they can live by that and that’s a part of the formula, then I think everybody else should take heed to that and kind of run with it and try to apply it into their specific area.”
These examples literally comprise a sample of the sales coaching tips Jamal shares. Check out his full advice in the on-demand webinar.
