Articles
What Top Sales Teams And Sports Champions Have In Common

What do top sales teams have in common with the best international athletes? More than you might think. When it comes to success and winning the game, certain core strategies are shared by both high-performing sales teams and sporting champions. Understanding that a strong sales department is crucial for your business, we’ve outlined the top strategies you should implement in your team right now to achieve significant sales success.

1. Train Hard
   Track stars, runners, cyclists, and swimmers train daily to improve their times and shave milliseconds off their performances. Similarly, salespeople require ongoing practice and training. Your sales representatives need to stay updated with the latest sales techniques and technologies, actively incorporating them into their roles. For instance, cloud-based tools and CRM software are essential for lead generation. Moreover, sales teams should be able to think on their feet when responding to challenging queries. This can be facilitated with scripts for common issues or through role-playing sales pitches with corporate trainers. Regular training sessions should occur monthly or weekly, allowing sales reps to practice these skills to build comfort within the larger strategy.
2. Clear Coaching
   The best coaches are always on the sidelines, cheering their teams on. This goes beyond mere encouragement; it involves clear, ongoing communication in real time. Effective communication separates good teams from great ones. Who communicates with your sales team? If you have a tiered structure, an Account Manager may relay strategy from upper management to the sales teams. The Account Manager should ensure quality, performance, follow-up, and feedback. Keeping communication channels open and energy levels high can be achieved by setting clear and enticing KPIs and establishing a well-defined monthly strategy for each sales team.
3. Working to Improve
   Ever notice what assistant basketball coaches do? In addition to recruiting top players, they continuously analyze old games to identify mistakes and teach players how to avoid them. This is similar to the role of a Quality Assurance Analyst on a sales team. This person tracks each representative’s performance and evaluates how to enhance overall team performance. A successful sales team must consistently improve in all areas, from listening and probing for information to pitching, presenting, handling issues, and closing deals.
4. Always Be Prepared
   In football, teams use playbooks—a compilation of strategies they can use during a game. Similarly, your sales team could benefit from a sales playbook. This document should outline your sales process, customer types, scripts, negotiation strategies, and sample emails. Ensure your team has a go-to plan for any customer scenario they encounter. These strategies should be rehearsed and practiced to feel natural during real interactions.
5. Find Your Fans
   During lockdown, watching professional matches with no fans cheering was strange. Without a supportive network, the energy of the game feels flat. In sales, this is akin to having a community of clients or potential buyers who energize the sales force. To grow this “fan base,” salespeople should ask for referrals as soon as a customer signs a deal. Convert the satisfaction of existing customers into referrals by requesting introductions to others who may also benefit from your services. This is a highly underrated and lucrative lead generation resource.
6. Enthusiasm Sells
   Cheerleaders and enthusiastic fans elevate the energy at games, encouraging players to excel. In sales, a sales manager's role is to continually motivate and encourage staff. This enthusiasm must resonate with sales reps and extend to customers. If a sales rep lacks passion for the product, the customer is unlikely to buy in, and the deal may not close. A genuine passion can be a powerful factor in persuading customers to make a purchase.

The Bottom Line
Just as top-performing athletes work hard to excel, an effective sales team must practice to achieve perfection. Sales is a dynamic and challenging environment that requires hard work, enthusiasm, encouragement, and consistent practice. By learning from the best and implementing these strategic tactics used by top sports stars, your sales team will be well on its way to winning the trophy.