I was recently watching the NFL draft and it got me thinking about how much selling is involved during this night. The NFL is trying to sell an entertaining, prime-time event to its fans (7 million watched), NFL teams are trying to sell to their fans that this is the right choice, NFL executives have to be sold by the prospects (that indeed he is the right guy), NFL teams have to sell one another on different packages for trades, and teams have to be careful in non-sales selling by telling the media what they plan on doing in the draft.
As a Bills fan, there was not too much excitement because they did not have a 1st round pick. This allowed me to just relax and watch what the other teams did (hoping their divisions rivals would make dumb picks). While watching I realized how much selling takes place as I said. Most columnists believed that the draft was boring because there were not as many trades as they expected. The thing I realized is that in the NFL business, buoyancy is a tricky tale.
A general manager’s job is to hit on prospects and make sure that they become starters or stars. If they pick bad prospect after prospect then there going to get fired. There is a constant pressure to sell to your owner that this QB is going to be the next face of the franchise. This reminds me of guys like Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston. Winston was selected #1 overall but he has had a lot of controversy. Will his off-the-field behavior kick him out of the NFL? Manziel has shown nothing since being drafted in the 1st round. Ray Farmer, the Cleveland Browns GM, will have a shorter of a leash during this current draft.
In the end, it is important to remember Pink’s buoyancy principle but there is a catch. In sales, you will face a lot of rejection but there is still a quota. You need to perform or you will be out the door. The NFL is a high turnover business. Most teams end up changing their GM or coach every 5 years. That is why it is important to do three things:
1. Be positive about the selections you made. You scouted each of these prospects and you need to make sure that you give them the best environment to succeed.
2. Learn to say no. This a big one! A team needs to learn that when you have a bust, cut him loose. Too many teams hold onto a player because of how much they gave up to get him. This sets the franchise back years. It’s better to cut your losses and choose a replacement.
3. Make sure you engage in interrogative self-talk during the draft process. Sometimes emotions can get in the way. Ask all the important questions to make sure that this is the right prospect to take.
BoweryJE22
This is a great scenario to depict selling and non-sales selling. Pro sports in general is a huge sales gig. They make so much money on selling you the experience, when going to a game, and all the gear that comes with it. The NFL draft really showcases how much prospecting is important to make a sale.
No kidding, Falco! I always felt bad for the coaches and GMs who sucked because I knew they’d get fired asap – but I never thought about it all in a sales context before. As you said, the Draft is a great specimen of selling on all fronts thus keeps us on the edge of our seats because there are so many variables. I think that this can also teach us though that even if you are sold on something and it doesn’t work the way you thought or something goes wrong – it’s not necessarily the salesman’s fault. In a case like the Draft, you can’t always predict the future – you can only get good at reading the indicators.
Wow, I never thought about the amount of sales that go into this event aside from the obvious, the players selling themselves to the teams through the combines, and how they have played throughout the year! Seeing the full season of the NFL for the first time this year, I’ve really seen how much of a juggernaut the NFL is in the sports business, and how they do so much selling – from TV deals, to merchandise, to advertising, to tickets! It’s an incredible business!