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It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” – Paul “Bear” Bryant football coach
You may want to win, want to make more money, want to be in the elite class of closers at your company, BUT: Are you willing to put in the work?
Years ago, I thought I was, but I was wrong.
Oh, yeah, I wanted to make the big money, but, I wasn’t really prepared to work for it.
I was one of the reps who came in right before my shift began, and I went to the kitchen for the coffee and donuts first.
I hung out there talking bitching about the company with the other bottom producers, and I couldn’t wait for lunch time, and by Friday, I didn’t work too hard (casual Friday, you know).
After not being able to have the stuff I really wanted, I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired.
So, I made a commitment to give my profession all I could. I decided to do what was necessary for me to move into the top 20% of the producers at the company.
And that’s when I learned what the “will to prepare to win” meant.
I started showing up an hour before work began, and I headed straight to my desk and began making calls.
This paid off, as some days I’d have a deal on the board before other reps headed for their coffee and donuts.
I spent my lunch hours listening to my calls and critiquing them. Yes, I was horrible in the beginning, but I was committed to finding ways to make them better.
And I did.
At night before I went home, I took an extra half hour to lay out all my leads and call backs for the next day so I could hit the ground running when I got in.
And then I’d listen to my calls in the car on the way home and make adjustments to the scripts during the evening (yeah, imagine that—working “off hours”!).
Before I went to sleep, I focused my subconscious on closing the leads I had laid out, and I went over perfect rebuttals to objections or stalls I’d hear.
I visualized how I would feel once I became a top closer, and what I’d do with my first bonus check, and how good that would make me feel.
After ninety days of doing this, I became the top producer in the company.
Suddenly, I understood the difference between the will to win and the will to prepare to win.
I also found that I wasn’t alone. There with me in the mornings, and in the evenings, were the other top producers.
Today, I find that I can accomplish just about anything if I’m willing to put in the time to prepare to win. You can, too–if you’re willing to put in the time to prepare to win.
The question is, are you?