By Chris Polek, Polek & Polek – 75 years ago, Joe DiMaggio’s legendary 56 game hit streak was underway. 75 years later, experts say it is probably the one record in Major League Baseball that will never be broken.
While baseball players measure their hitting success by hit streaks, the same attitude measures true in sales. Let’s take a look at key lessons an historic feat by a Hall of Famer brings to your sales game:
Belief
Baseball, like sales, depends on plenty of failure on your way to success. In baseball, you fail to get a hit 70% of the time at the plate, and you are considered one of the better hitters in baseball! You can be the top salesperson in your company. They keep score of who has the highest revenues per month in sales, but no one keeps track of the batting average in sales (successful sales v. sales attempts).
You can bet the top performers are keeping track of that score. They are constantly sharpening their skills to improve and make their sales attempts, their best effort for success. For Joe DiMaggio, his secret to hitting success was putting the ball in play. DiMaggio believed that as long as he could hit the ball there was a chance that it could be hit where a fielder wasn’t. During the 56 game hit streak, DiMaggio struck out only 5 times during the span of the 56 game hit streak (223 AB)! Belief in what you do drives the behavior of winning.
You may need to work overtime
In sales, you need to schedule your day, so that you maximize activity. You need to regularly be focused on sales activities during your day, and schedule all the non sales activity during non selling time. If you don’t want to sabotage your selling time, then you have got to plan on putting in overtime.
One fact that is overlooked, is that during DiMaggio’s hit streak he played in 7 doubleheaders! 25% of the days in that hit streak, Joe worked overtime!
Tomorrow is another day
Not every day is a success, and you will encounter setbacks. As long as you put forward your best effort, you cannot ask more of yourself than that. Remember that tomorrow is another day, and that you will make a difference when you consistently put forth your best effort.
The day that the hit streak ended, do you think Joe DiMaggio was disappointed? You better believe he was!
DiMaggio also knew that tomorrow was another day, and he proceeded to go on another hitting streak of 16 games. A hit in 72 of 73 games; Amazing!
Remember those three things. Believe in what you do, and it will drive winning behaviors. Be willing to work overtime. Know that tomorrow is another day, and that consistently giving your best effort will make a difference. Do those three things in sales, and you can accomplish amazing things.
