Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
It’s a fun time of year to be a sports fan.
The Ryder Cup ended in dramatic fashion when the U.S. Team won back the trophy from the European Team. College football is in full swing and the NFL will finish week 5 tonight. Hockey drops their opening pucks later this week and it won’t be long until basketball season tips off for both college and the NBA. Most high school fall sports will be winding down their seasons soon too.
As the Major League Baseball playoffs continue this week, it’s getting to be “high pressure” time for the teams still alive. Just last week, the Wild Card team in each league played a “Win or Go Home” game to earn the last spot in their respective Divisional Series. Those will be a “Best of 3” series with the winners advancing to the League Championships Series and eventually those two “Pennant Winners” will be playing in iconic World Series to close out October.
Watching the managers and players think about every single move in these games is truly interesting and sometimes creates anxiety-filled moments for all involved. Each pitch, swing, throw or base-running moment could be the difference in winning and advancing or losing and going home.
It’s a fun time of year to be a salesperson.
No matter how long you’ve been doing what you’re doing, we’ve entered a special time in the calendar. There are a little more than 11 weeks left before the end of the year so it sort of feels like the playoffs right now, with everyone hustling and working hard to “stay alive” and “in the game” as long as possible.
Will you be taking some extra batting practice each morning (practicing scripts and dialogues, reviewing your presentations and updating your marketing) in anticipation of your next “at bat”? In fact, are you even in the line up for today’s game? Knowing what’s on the schedule and when you are expected to play next is a critical component of being mentally and physically prepared.
Get a good night sleep tonight because you’ve got a big game ahead…and it’s the playoffs. Every decision, effort and response you bring to the game could be the difference in advancing to the next level or going home disappointed.
Remember..getting to the playoffs wasn’t the goal. Doing something once you’re in the game is.
Good luck building relationships, solving problems and having fun.
Photo Credit: Jim Larrison via Flickr