Be The Underdog

In sports, there is a commonly know term given to a person or team not expected to win, this term is “the underdog.” The underdog is seen as a competitor who stands little chance of winning against the better competitor. But for some reason, in sports, many times it is the underdog that comes out as the victor. I believe the main reason for this is because the underdog plays the game with no pressure and is not afraid to fail. As an underdog you are already expected to lose and therefore have no pressure when you play, when you have no pressure you can play the game the right way and you are prone to less mistakes. This actually can give an advantage to the underdog over his opponent.

In sales it is important to take the pressure off of yourself and focus on “playing the game right.” In David Mattson’s book “The sandler Rules,” Rule #43 is “You don’t learn how to win by getting a YES, you learn how to win by getting a NO. In this rule Sandler is making the argument that you must change your focus and you should no fear a ”NO” from your clients. By changing your focus, you are taking the pressure of getting the “YES” answer and allowing yourself to hear a “NO” with confidence. Sandler goes as far as to say we should try to get a “NO.” He is not saying we should purposefully make the customer want to say “NO,” but rather, to understand that all humans fail, and as a salesperson it is expected of you to fail. You are the “underdog” in the sale. And because you are the underdog, you need to go into a sale with confidence that you will play the game the right way and with no pressure. When this happens, a “NO” answer is what was expected from the start and therefore for will not be so demoralizing. Once you take this prospective, you will see that the underdog wins a good amount, and that you actually get the “YES” answer more than expected.

In conclusion, change your focus in sales and do not be afraid to get “NO” as an answer. When you change your focus the “NO” answer is much less demoralizing and the “YES” answer is much sweeter.