Running and Sales.. What's the difference?

Often runners say we’re going to clear our mind, get a fresh start for the day or feel a sense of ease in our minds’ eye afterward. But what does that mean really, that our heads are empty on a long run, maybe an hour or two... in fact, the opposite.

I think and overthink about all the scenarios from the day before, scenarios I might face soon, I think of what I’m going to eat for breakfast or how in the world I’m going to finish a half marathon this weekend. That’s what “clearing my mind” means to me- that I have all the thoughts I haven’t had time for all day. Through those thoughts this morning I started wondering how I found myself in a position to even run a half marathon. How did I convince myself to sign up for a full marathon after only watching runners take to the streets of Chicago last October.

The thing about running a marathon is the race isn’t the work at all. The race is a celebration of all work we have put in for months. Months of training, waking up early, running in weather too cold to feel our fingers. A Marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k... whatever it is, we can’t simply go out there and run one day because we feel like it. It takes practice, months of practice, in fact. More than that, it takes determination, tenacity and a few too many blisters to count.

In true corporate mind fashion, that got me thinking about how this relates to the job I do 8-5 everyday- sales. Sales can relate to running in so many ways and this morning I had an epiphany about it so stay with me. Some people are naturally “good” at sales. Some people can sell ice to a polar bear with no talk tracks implemented or guidelines, they just do it easily. Running is the same and if you’ve ever started running with that naturally athletic friend, you know what I mean. Some people can just do it and feel great afterwards.

On the flip side, for 90% of us, selling take practice just like running. Making a sale with a customer and turning them from customer to client takes time and practice. The sale should be the celebration of all the awkward role practice you put in with your sales manager. The deal you make with that client should reflect all the times you misspoke or lost your train of thought when trying to make the talk tracks your own, to sound natural.

As a salesperson today, it’s important to remember that practice is the work, practice is the time you spent learning and failing before celebrating with your client’s “yes” just like a runner does at the finish line. Embrace the slow miles, the awkward role practices, the tough conversations and blisters because they get you where you need to be. They help you show up every day, even when you’d rather not, because the finish line is always worth it.