If you ask me, Vince Lombardi was a first class salesman.  During his time as an NFL coach, he sold his coaching methods and knowledge to hundreds of professional football players and owners (fans). His quotes are famous, so I’m sure you’ll recognize this one:
“Football is like life – it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.”
With the NFL season upon us, I find it fitting to make a comparison between a sales team and the gridiron.  As the boys of fall do battle once a week, we’re on the sales floor (like many of you) working our ends off to get our customers the service they deserve and have come to expect…not unlike the quality and reliability that we expect out of the players we watch.
And like football, your sales day can be broken up in to 4 quarters.
1^st quarter:  Prepare to go as hard as your customers need you to go.
Communicate with team members and discuss any prior issues that need to be addressed.  Even if you have tough news to deliver a customer, it’s very important that the information is accurate and consistent throughout the team.  Understanding demands and requests will help the next time something comes up from a customer.
2^nd quarter:  Take the initiative. 
Be proactive with your customers and touch base with them.  Give them updates on promotions and any product changes that they might benefit from knowing. Even as the “newbie” on our team, I’ve seen that the desire to help every customer until we know we have absorbed all resources and helped to the fullest is evident in every sales rep.  A culture of customer loyalty that lives in each call and every conversation is something that cannot be faked, and goes a long way with new AND old customers.
HALFTIME : 6 hot dogs, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of coffee. 
3rd quarter:  Regroup and reload. 
Look into anything that can be addressed before the day ends and get a head start on it.  Go that extra mile within your team and consolidate job tasks and duties to help stay ahead.  Prepare yourself for the stretch to end the day as strong as possible. In the short time I have been a part of our team, it has really become apparent to me how important it is in sales to demonstrate winning attitudes and plan for success.
4^th quarter:  Come from behind or hold the lead.
No one is perfect, and you can’t really control the incoming requests from your customer, so it’s on you to make sure you’re doing the best you can to recover from a mistake or keep on track. Communication with your team is vital, and asking for assistance is never frowned upon.  Be sure to see if you can help anyone out, or ask that person playing candy crush to help you pump out the last set of tasks on the job board!  Be the type of teammate you would want on your team.
2 minute warning:
Coming down the stretch, there isn’t a crowd cheering but your team is counting on you to close the sale. Now, it’s one thing to have motivational quotes in the workplace, but it’s more important to have realistic expectations of yourself and your teammates. Don’t just talk the talk; walk the walk and others will surely feed off that in a positive way.  “Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will be judged by only one thing – the result.”

This week’s author is brand new to both the ETE Sales Team and your group of Reman U contributors. In his first article, Kevin Strong (aka the Remanimal) shares a sales analogy…just in time for football season. Join the conversation below or email Kevin your feedback!