In sales as in BJJ you win some and you lose some. Even the best in the world are humbled at times. If it were not so it would not be such a challenge to take top honors at world and national events. Likewise, the spirit of competition runs deep in the veins of sales professionals. Each has his/her vision of greatness and works diligently toward a single minded goal... To be the best! Whatever that may mean to them. So like BJJ competitors do sales people share this vision of greatness.
To be good at sales one must endeavor to create specific habits that move you toward an ultimate goal. You must refine your technique, look for advantages, execute flawlessly, and remember the rules, master your approach, you must identify and strengthen your weaknesses and you must be prepared to make sacrifices. And in BJJ like sales once and while you must be prepared to take a chance; "throw the dice" as my instructor John Kvenbo Munoz always says. Without great risk there can be no great reward.
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as in sales at times you feel like you are top of the world, but today's home runs do not ensure tomorrow's victories as they say. You must continue tirelessly to hone your game and plan to sustain your victories and create consistency in your craft.
Dedicating my mind and body to a single minded goal such as winning gold at Pan Ams and Worlds in the same season focuses my mind, challenges my fortitude and strengthens my resolve. I seek greatness not for title and glory but for me, for self, I will be #1 for the day and walk off the field of battle victorious having competed well and done my best thankful and grateful for my competition for without them their is no game and no battles to be won.
In both BJJ and sales you must work with the end in mind. What will the next workout gain me, what gem of knowledge can I integrate into my game today. How do the next cold calls push me toward my earning target for the year. So different and yet so similar are the mindsets that create a willing student, dedicated competitor and truly successful professional.
I've learned through many years of competition in many disciplines of sport that half the battle is just showing up; showing up for often routine monotonous endless workouts, showing up for conference calls, cold calling blitzes and meeting upon meeting, showing up for competitions prepared and willing to lay it all on the line for five to six minutes, it's all or nothing, win or lose. But only one can win the day. Sales people like BJJ competitors have an uncanny nack to simply show up, day in and day out, through injury, pain, frustration, good days and bad, victories and defeats.
I have witnessed men and women face their fear, shrug off uncertainty and doubt to find true glory in a simple arm raising or signature on a contract. Sometimes the greatest victories take place in a quiet space deep within ones self, the moment you realize I have mastered this moment. I can win this match, I have the upper hand, this moment is mine. Even before the roar of team mates and the crowd fill your ears as your competition submits and taps your leg you have won. You have overcome self, you have shown up prepared and you have fought well.
An identical feeling can wash over you in a large conference room filled with executives as you open dialogue on a 2.5 million dollar contract, you have prepared well, you know your competition's strengths and weaknesses, you have a strong plan and have answers to every question a counter to ever parry a rebuttal for every objection. You know the second you've won, you note a delving question that signals the "BUY", the contract is yours the day is yours. But that quiet voice deep insides reminds, "in victory be humble". Be a good competitor and appreciate the suffering your competition faced to arrive at this place in this moment. Be gracious in victory as in defeat because you may taste sweetness one day and bitterness the next. And always remember those who gave, shared, coached and paved the way toward your moment in the lime light.
To some our endeavor is trite, quaint or a nice hobby. But to us, for the rare breed of competitors that we are, BJJ and/or sales is what we live, it's who we are and it's a sacred part of our life that we hold dear to ourselves. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to me is health, it's focus, it's balance, it's aspiration, it's challenge, it's exhilarating, it's a timeless struggle of man's search for meaning and victory over self and others in battle. It's building of immutable confidence and the sculpting of champion spirit.
Through BJJ training and competition I have found a better me. A more focused, resourceful professional with unbreakable confidence and unyielding persistence. And the best part of it all is I have found the more confident I become in my discipline the more humble I am as a man. Through confidence I have learned the hardest lesson in life, the truly talented sales professionals, fighters and champions are often the most humble not because they have to, but simply because they have the strength to be.
For your consideration. Happy training to all and happy selling!
Best Regards,
Kenneth Knapp
Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu
www.bjjtraining.com
Kung Fu San Soo Instructor
www.kungfusansooriverside.com
