How did Hornish manage to gain the winning edge? What was the difference between his performance and Andretti’s? There is simply no way to know what gave Hornish the .0635 second winning edge. It could have been anything or a combination of many things. We could speculate or even try to work backward through his team’s activities preparing for and executing the race but we’d never find a definitive answer. In the end the difference is that Sam Hornish just did more things right. In other words he was perfect more often than Andretti and the result was a slim margin of victory and a huge margin of payout.

So what’s the point? Believe it or not the complex sale is very much like the Indianapolis 500. There are always tough competitors, there is a great deal at stake and the margin of victory is almost always slim. The one key difference in sales is that the winner gets all of the commission and all of the business while the loser walks away empty handed. In the complex sale the winning Sales Professional is the one who does more things perfect. The winner refuses to take short cuts and has the self discipline to go the extra mile.

Three PowerPrinciples for Gaining the Winning Edge

1. Work Backwards: When developing strategies to win a complex sales, top Sales Professionals always look in a rearview mirror. In other words they start their planning at the desired outcome, the close, and work backwards through all of the steps required to win. Thus ensuring that every contingency is considered and no rock is left un-turned.

2. Tap Into Your Self Discipline: Self discipline is the most coveted of all human traits and also the easiest to discard when you are tired, frustrated or overwhelmed. The antidote to the temptation to take short cuts is desire. Tap into your self discipline by visualizing the rewards of victory and leveraging your desire.

3. Be Perfect: Simply stated - you must be perfect in everything! Your planning, questions, collateral, proposal and presentation are on stage and being evaluated. Every detail and every interaction must be perfect - the way you dress, smile, walk, talk, the cleanliness of your car and even how you present yourself to the receptionist. You may never know exactly what the winning edge is but you can always be sure that to win, you must do more things perfect than the loser.

Book Review:

I’m reading a wonderful book on the Winning Edge, called “It Only Takes 1% to Have a Competitive Edge in Sales“, by Thomas A. Freese. In this book Mr. Freese drives home the point that sales are most often won and lost by very small margins of victory. He teaches his lessons through a series of fun and inspiring stories that illustrate how little things often make a big difference. This is the kind of book I like - short chapters, fun stories, and excellent writing. This is a perfect book for sales managers who want to augment their sales meetings and newsletters with quick and powerful lessons on sales excellence. You’ll find this book available in the Sales Gravy Book Store or click here to buy now.