(By Rick Fink) The FIFA Women’s World Cup has begun, and I am a part of the 31% of the American soccer fan population. While watching matches this past week, this thought occurred to me: what’s more important, offense or defense?
While scoring might be the thing that brings people to their feet, defense is what keeps teams in the game.
So how does this apply to radio sales? We all understand offense. You go out there and score, get the sale, and celebrate! It goes without saying that to make money you must make sales! Soccer, as in sales, is very strategic. The better the planning, the easier it is to score.
Here’s another offensive lesson from soccer. Occasionally you’ll see players take random shots that really have no chance of going in the net. While taking strategic shots is a higher percentage, we suggest that every so often it’s OK to take random shots. If you’re keeping track, a “No” is one step closer to a “Yes”.
So where does defense come into play? Defense in sales is what keeps your client a client for a long, long time. It’s the service work after the sale, the little extras that go above and beyond what other reps are willing to do.
Like offense, defense takes practice, but it isn’t always as much fun. In soccer, as in most sports, the offense gets all the recognition. Offense is fun and rewarding. Defense is work, but as many great coaches have preached, “Defense Wins Championships!”
Let me ask you a question. Do you think your clients would prefer you to be better at offense or defense?
Scoring is what we keep track of, but a strong defense in sales, as in soccer, is what sets up your offense and gives it the ability to score. The better you protect what you have, the more your clients will love you, respect you, trust you, and the more you will score.
This week, if you’re not already, I encourage you to add “defense” to your practice schedule, and going forward, make it a major part of your game plan. If you’d like some extra help with your offense or defense, let me know.
Rick Fink from ENS Media can be reached at 605-310-2062 or at [email protected]. Read Rick’s Radio Ink archives here.
