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Auto racers and salespeople have one thing in common: they are very competitive. They also need tools, training, a backup plan and support to perform to their best. If you think about it, the competitive ambiance within auto racers and salespeople is not that different. Let’s talk about it.
Studies have shown that some characteristics of auto racers are their ability to stay focus for a long period of time, and to concentrate towards achieving certain goal: improve their timing, have better speed, scale positions, etc. And, if we transfer this to a sales department, we find that each sales representative should stay focus during all the sales process, and they should perfectly accomplish the sales plan goal and their personal goal for a specified period of time. Closing a deal, obtaining leads, be better at networking or searching for the best events to be present, these are all part of reaching the finish line, just like F1.
NASCAR allows drivers to compete in as many series and events as they need to scale positions and be ranked better drivers. The same happens with a sales team. Depending on the goals to achieve, a sales representative can get involved in many activities or choose their path and steps to follow to close a deal and be the sales representative that stands out the most.
Before the race, the group of technicians should perform a racing car setup, this refers to a set of adjustments made to the vehicle to optimize its performance (suspensions, brakes, transmissions, engines, tires). During the race there’s the Pit Stop where tires are changed and gas is refilled to get through the race. In the sales world, there’s also a setup when the sales manager develops a plan to fulfill all the goals. Also, the new members of the sales team get special training. During the execution of that plan, there are also pit stops where the sales team evaluates how many goals are being accomplished monthly and if it is necessary to re-adjust the sales plan.
Motivation is really important for any competitive and goal oriented environment. That is the reason car racers receive great prices and huge trophies every time they win a competition. What’s the motivation in a sales team? Commissions and incentives, that’s a sales representative huge trophy after closing all the deals he proposed, and the trophy is even bigger if the he exceeds expectations. Everyone wants a trophy, so competition is always latent.
Another way of motivation is knowing where your competitors are standing, what they are doing to succeed, compare results and see who is in the leaderboard. NASCAR and F1 have an official ranking for all their professional racers, this allows competitors and coaches to see how others are performing. Having a leaderboard or a way to ranks sales representatives, will let the sales manager to know who are the best team players, and will motivate team members to scale positions.
Have you seen the flags during a NASCAR or F1 race? They are used to indicate the race status and track conditions, valuable information for the racers and the audience. In sales, there should be something telling the salespeople and manager where the status of a lead or contact is, letting the team know at what point of the sales process they are.
But what makes everything perform so perfectly in car racing? Technology, having attributes above other cars helps a racer hit the finish line first. Technology can also help a sales department increase efficiency, using a tool or tech solution can give full visibility on every one’s performance and can incentivize productivity. Both car racers and salespeople can benefit from top-notch technology. One amazing technology salespeople can have is a commission tracking software like Blitz.
Last but not least, let’s not forget car racing is a sport, and competition in sports is always healthy. That’s the way salespeople should manage themselves, with honesty and hard work. Using all their knowledge to be the bests, and helping others succeed too.
Salespeople and car racers, share competitive attitudes which deliver amazing results.