What Do Quota Busting Salespeople and Free Scoring Football Strikers Have In Common?

The madness that is the football industry was yet again seen through Monday’s transfer window deadline day.

As rolling news services wet their pants over the whole affair, I couldn’t help but think on one comment from an attendant statto.

Apparently, two current young England centre forwards (Sturridge & Wellbeck) have identical chance-conversion rates; 25%.

A former premiership attacker then mentioned that to be considered a top striker you need such a rate to be better; one-in-three.

Now, I’m a big fan of monitoring close rates.

Perhaps the earliest benchmark I learned to match myself on was winning one of every three deals I pursued. At the time way back then I was told that this was the threshold beyond which journeyman rep became superstar seller. On the quiet, I was pushed to feel that a true master goes further to make one in two.

So top strikers are also judged by one in three.

There are vital factors at play here as well. For a goal-scorer’s service and finishing, read a salesperson’s pipeline and closing. The analogy could go deeper too. Positioning, losing your marker, finding space, interplay, composure, anticipation, instinct, speed.

You might feel that if you never score with your left foot, then why send a shot goalwards with it?

Yet the fully rounded player will be totally two-footed. And great in the air.

And what of the type of chance? If hit your shot straight at the keeper were you really ever going to see the net ripple?

The fact further remains that the quality of what you go for and in which quantity are instrumental.

You can never have too much in your funnel, true, but qualification is fundamental.

If you don’t honestly fancy deals on which you’re working then what can you expect from their pop at goal?

Like in silly-money soccer, aim for 1 in 3. Then for greatness strive for 1 in 2.