What my Golf and Pandemic Strategy Have in Common
I miss golf. A few fond memories from the course coupled with some conversations I've had recently with some leaders led me to an interesting metaphor.
A little over four years ago, I played the best round of golf in my life. It was mid-March, it was the last round of our spring trip, and I shot a 74 on the Blue course at Streamsong. I almost didn’t get on the plane to fly home.
I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that my swing had never been in a better place, but the real key to that round was my caddie. He kept me focused on a simple strategy… Put a good swing on it. Hit the fairway, hit the green, make a good a putt…
The current situation caused by the coronavirus is making it very difficult for your strategy to be so straightforward. It feels more like there’s a hazy cloud hanging over everything and everybody. No two people seem to be acting the same way, you have to approach every situation pragmatically, and empathy is trading at an all-time high…
Every physical, mental, emotional, organizational, and even spiritual construct we’ve ever been given or built is being tested, and all at the same time. Think about that.
In some ways, it seems like the fog is lifting and there is a light at the end of the tunnel, while in other ways, the prominent discourse is only causing more confusion. The political climate (and an election year) here in the States is not helping things, as emotions are running even a tick higher than normal, and fewer people feel like they have an objective information source they can trust.
It’s always tough to make important decisions, but when you add high emotions and a lack of faith in your data to the mix, the math goes bad really quickly. You can't afford to let that happen.
I talked to a sales leader last week who had some great advice… “When it gets really hard out there, you have to make things simple.”
When it comes to selling, simplicity means focusing on two very important things…
Time spent in the sales process
Making sure you advance within that sales process
That’s it. Everything else is secondary at best.
Fairways and greens…
Hit the fairway… Hit the green… Make a good putt… It sounds boring, and in some ways it actually is. Who doesn’t love the hero shot from a bad lie over a hazard to get up and down for par? It makes for a great story after the round, but there re no pictures on the scorecard, it’s still just a par. Do you always want to introduce that kind of stress?
When you're hitting greens in regulation, it means you're putting for birdies. Even when they're long putts, you still have a chance to make it and put a circle on your scorecard. If you’re a fundamentally sound putter (or a fundamentally sound seller), then you’ll almost never make a bogey, and every once in a while a long one goes in. That's how you score.
When you prioritize time spent selling and you make sure you’re advancing those sales processes, you’re hitting fairways and greens. You're putting yourself in a position to win.
When you look at the stats, the biggest difference between the average pro and the Average Joe is the number of fairways and greens each hits respectively. Similarly, the biggest difference between a top performer and an average seller is the amount of time they spend selling and advancing sales.
You don’t need to be fancy. You don’t need to worry about a tech stack or a bunch of complicated tools. They help to scale, but not to sell. Keep it simple. Do your job. The results will follow. Trust your process.
How can you simplify the processes in your business? Can you sustain that simplicity? Do you miss golf as much as I do right now? Join the conversation in my online community.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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