Cricket Coach's Sales Management Tips

An unashamed cricket fan, I’ve suffered from England coach Duncan Fletcher’s misguided thinking since that bizarre Oval Test last year.  His demise took place this week, with his replacement promoted from within the current international set-up.  I wish Peter Moores all the very best, and in the dozens of web pieces about his promise, one stood out for me by his former colleague at Sussex Robin Martin-Jenkins at The Times.

I’ve mentioned before that business/sales people are always trying to take tips from sporting motivation, and this article gives a couple of cracking insights.  If you’re a sales manager, they include:

• identify whether everyone is giving to or taking from the energy of the team – if someone’s taking energy away from your organisation, let them know they must sort themselves out (a great quote around this is “You’re just neutral . . . which is even worse in my book.” )
• think of instilling intensity, passion & drive and ensure no-one is ambivalent about their role and the company
• introduce a new vocabulary of intensity, honesty and belief
• introduce innovation and energy, even thinking about things like ‘warm-up drills’ so people don’t go through the motions before a call (I loved this insight, as how many times do you go on a call with someone and only discuss it as you rock up to the punter’s car park?!)
• challenge sales people to be mountain people, not valley dwellers – and make them givers not takers