Southwestern Sales Talk

What can we learn from Super Bowl XLIV that could apply to Southwestern student managers?  For me, one principle stood out: the value of attitude and confidence!  The game was a classic case of the technically-flawless Peyton Manning and his confident Colts losing to the underdog Drew Brees and the formerly-hapless Saints.

I fully expected Peyton Manning to win, and handily.  He is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, a true “student of the game”.  Even during games the Colts are winning, he is on the sidelines studying photos of the opposing defenses.  Manning is the consummate professional–cool, calm, collected.  He gets annoyed when his team doesn’t perform perfectly.

As I watched (with all my American Airlines friends at O’Hare airport), I have to admit I nearly gave up on the Saints in the first quarter after they fell behind 10-0.  Manning was taking them apart, moving his offense down the field with the customary surgical precision.  History was against any team overcoming a ten point deficit.  It looked like the confident, technical master was going to prevail over his upstart emotional opponents. 

My plane took off and I knew I’d land to hear Colts celebrating on ESPN.

Was I shocked when the pilot announced that the final score was 31-17…and the Saints had won!  A first time victory for the Saints in their first trip to the Super Bowl.  It was inspiring to hear Brees and his coach, Sean Payton, share their emotions about winning the Lombardi Trophy. 

My assessment?  Attitude and emotion prevailed over technical execution.  The New Orleans Saints simply would not be denied.  They wanted it more.  The excitable Drew Brees and his teammates took on the pressure and prevailed.   He commented after the game:

“Along the way, people have asked me so many times, ‘Do you look at it as a burden or extra pressure? Do you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the city on your teams’ shoulders.’ I said, ‘No, not at all. We look at it as a responsibility.’ Our city, our fans, gave us strength and we owe this to them. … There’s no people that you would want to win for more than the city of New Orleans.”

The Saints had decided in advance they were supposed to win, and their collective positive attitude won the day, and the championship.

Have you known sales people who knew their stuff, who made their calls, who did the demos, but were not performing well?  Sure.  Technically masterful, emotionally flat. 

When I was recruiting as a young sales manager, it seemed every spring my closing percentage would drop off around April.  I got frustrated.  Inevitably, I lamented, “I’m not doing anything different—my presentation is exactly the same as it’s always been!  I don’t know what’s wrong.”  My sales director would fly in, watch me do a presentation, and say, “No enthusiasm.”  Every year I’d then make the fix and my results improved.

If your sales have dropped off, or your recruiting is not up to your own high standards, take a look in the mirror, it may be time for an infusion of emotion and a winning attitude.   Take a lesson from the New Orleans football franchise.  Now all the Colts fans can rail on me.  That’s what the comments are for….  As a bonus, here’s a sample of Drew Brees getting his team ready emotionally.

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