Lead The Hunt Like Speed Queen Amy

“The world at this level breaks down into two groups.
Those who would rather be anywhere else in the big moment and those who wear it.
And [Amy] looks like she enjoys the arena.”

So ran reports of this 'astute observation'. By none other than legend athlete Seb Coe. Upon seeing Amy Hunt win European Championship sprint Gold at Birmingham 2026.

But beware. This isn't another 'Pressure is a Privilege' vacant platitude.

Beyond the generic performance psychology, for me this also rings true in solution sales.

Give me that key meet with The Big CEO. The cauldron of the intransigent. The den of the competition.

That, if not quite a career defining, pitch then certainly one shaping the foreseeable.

We have such 'big moments' aplenty.

It's such a well worn trope that cliche smothers the stories from around our selling space.

Yet there's more beneath the surface of Coe's note.

How do we "wear it"?

I forever bang on about this.

Just as an athlete must train, how do we prepare for the day?

What's our programme? Not just call-by-call, but in continual, conscious learning?

Breaking it all down into componentry. Reassembling. Proper practice.

Then there's that tricky aspect of demeanour.

Do we look like we belong there.

Never traverse that tricky spot where confidence edges into arrogance.

But giving off vibes that this is indeed, 'our arena'.

When nowadays doing a lot of one-on-one work with salespeople, I know I make them rehearse more than they've done before. Admittedly a low bar to cross sometimes! But we are absolutely ready come the gun.

When going into a prospect's office, I always seek to 'dress the room'. From the layout of chairs and tables to position of and among flip chart and whiteboard and screens. Handouts primed. My own set of marker pens in my bag. Even sticky tac at the ready for elevating a graphical prop.

When the meet begins, we direct it. No messing. Made explicit at the outset why we are all there. How we aim to go about it. And what ought happen next.

That’s the Sales version of walking into the arena looking like you belong there.