High Performance Sales v High Performance Sport

In many of the sales training and coaching sessions that I have been involved in over the last 6 months, there has been a constant discussion around the idea of high performance sales – both in terms of individuals and teams.

There are many books and research papers on high performance sports teams and individuals – from golfers like, Woods and McIlroy to soccer teams like Barcelona, Manchester United and City. The All-Blacks.

Brilliant books on high performance by Anders Ericsson, Geoff Colvin, John Wooden, Pete Carroll, Damian Hughes, Daniel Coyle – discussing ‘flow’ state, deliberate/deep/purposeful practice.

Nature or nurture?

Or a bit of both as I have grown to believe over the last number of years.

I am yet to read a book which focuses exclusively on High Performance Sales and typically refer to those aforementioned writers to drive home a point on improved performance, optimisation etc…

But what about the gaps?

Take for example a professional soccer player or GAA star for that matter – after any game they enjoy and deserve a sustained period of recovery. The GAA star might be back at his ‘real’ job the next day but there are fixed times set aside for recovery which will incorporate the physical as well as the mental and emotional.

What does the recovery period of a high performance sales person look like?

Most athletes train all year for a particular tournament or series of tournaments, building up to peak performance at a particular time of year.

The high performing sales person is trying to peak 5 days a week.

With little or no training.

This podcast is pretty much a personal download on the topic – hoping that people will have an opinion on how to improve the scenario in sales.

I discuss some of my experience and learnings and again ‘culture’ is front and centre>

So too, leadership, hard work, environment, measurement, practice, resilience, focus…

There are plenty of references to pyramids if that’s what you’re after…

Thanks for reading and I hope you get something from the podcast.

Paul

On Soundcloud below and also on iTunes