“We didn’t bring the energy and intensity that we needed to.”
We had the pleasure of traveling to see two of my alma mater’s (Marquette) basketball games recently. A fun and successful trip as they beat #12 Texas and Notre Dame by about 20 each (and neither game was that close as both had 30-point leads until the third string players went in).
The above quote was from one of the Texas players and I’ve heard similar from Seahawk players a few times after losses. The question is:
How can you not be ready for a big game? Whether it’s the NFL, NBA, or major college sports.
The same goes for business, you must be ready for sales calls, presentations, and heck, for every phone call. We preach to business buyers and sellers that the chances of a deal increase dramatically if you’re prepared, build a relationship, and ask good questions.
In sports it usually comes down to the losing team wasn’t as good as the winning team. In business, and life, it’s not win and lose, it’s win-win when one party solves the other’s problem(s). And of course, the first party wins by getting compensated for solving the problem.
“Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” Vince Lombardi
