Don't worry, guys, this is not going to be a trip review, but I will say that if you have never taken in a NASCAR race, it is an experience I would recommend to just about anyone.
What I want to talk about are the great examples of motivation, perseverance, and dominance.
Without getting too technical, this week's race at Talladega Superspeedway was a vital one in the sport's playoff format. Four drivers were set to be official eliminated from Championship contention, and one that was in a likely position to be eliminated was, fan favorite, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He literally could only advance closer to a Championship if he won the race.
For the first 250 miles of racing, about half of the race, it seemed a foregone conclusion that he actually would win. Earnhardt had led the most laps and was being flanked around the track by two teammates.
Then, his first major setback came. An infraction by his pit crew led to a penalty that sent Dale from 1st place to 29th. His resolve was about to be tested, and as a sign of just how easy it is to give up in a situation like that, dozens of Earnhardt, Jr. supporters got up and left the race at this point.
Their favorite driver, however, was not ready to quit on his goal, and in nearly 60 miles of racing he was back out front. This time, he was out there with no teammates helping him along, and the rest of the race was going to be a struggle. One that he was clearly up for.
As an automotive sales professional, how many times have you started a month slow and need a big finish to hit your goals? How many of those months have you justified actions that don't lead to you hitting your goal, saying things like "I have money in the bank, I'll get it next month," or "If management would get us better inventory or bring in better customers we would all sell more cars."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. makes millions of dollars as a driver and millions more in endorsements. He had every reason to pack it in after he fell to the back of the field, but in the end, with one lap left, he was running neck and neck for a win.
Finding what really motivates you and having that kind of perseverance is just as key for sales pros as it for professional racers.
Digging out of a hole is one thing, but have any of you ever considered going for true dominance?
What does that look like, what does that take? I saw a great example of that at this week's race, as well.
A fairly young driver, Joey Logano, has taken the NASCAR playoff system by storm. Coming into the race at Talladega, he had one the first two races of the playoffs. He had locked in his advance to the next round regardless of his finish at Talladega, but do you think he was content with circling that track 188 times at over 200 MPH and finish 30th. ABSOLUTELY NOT!
With a little good fortune, Logano was amongst the leaders following the penalty by Earnhardt, Jr.'s team. With the carrot of a third straight win, DOMINANCE, in front of him, Logano held the hammer down and raced Earnhardt hard once he again reached the front, holding him off on a last-second restart to win the race.
How often have you reached your goal and then taken your foot off the gas? It's an easy thing to do. You work really hard to hit a goal, and when you do it is completely natural to celebrate, to want to spend time with your family and friends, to want to sandbag for the next month's goal.
Don't get me wrong, you should celebrate wins, and family time is of great importance to me too, but that edge you have when you are being successful to jump right into your next success cannot be underestimated.
If your goal was to sell 20 cars and you do that with 3 days left in the month maybe it is OK to not work extra hours those last three days, but you need to keep your that edge by next month setting a higher goal. That month when you think you can just coast to 20 cars is the month you will only sell 12 so once you hit a goal, try raising your goal by 10% for next month.
I feel like I am very good at motivating myself and understand my why, but even I picked up some much needed inspiration from what I saw this past weekend, and hopefully sharing the tale with you can give you that extra boost to end October right.
IF YOU ARE READY TO PUT YOUR INSPIRATION TOGETHER WITH A PROVEN AUTOMOTIVE SALES PROSPECTING/CLOSING STRATEGY THAT INCREASED MY SALES 30% YEAR-OVER-YEAR WHEN IMPLEMENTED THEN MAKE SURE YOU JOIN ME FOR MY NOVEMBER 10TH WEBINAR! THIS WILL BE THE ONLY TIME I OFFER THIS EXTEMELY VALUABLE INFORMATION FREE!
What I want to talk about are the great examples of motivation, perseverance, and dominance.
Without getting too technical, this week's race at Talladega Superspeedway was a vital one in the sport's playoff format. Four drivers were set to be official eliminated from Championship contention, and one that was in a likely position to be eliminated was, fan favorite, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He literally could only advance closer to a Championship if he won the race.
For the first 250 miles of racing, about half of the race, it seemed a foregone conclusion that he actually would win. Earnhardt had led the most laps and was being flanked around the track by two teammates.
Then, his first major setback came. An infraction by his pit crew led to a penalty that sent Dale from 1st place to 29th. His resolve was about to be tested, and as a sign of just how easy it is to give up in a situation like that, dozens of Earnhardt, Jr. supporters got up and left the race at this point.
Their favorite driver, however, was not ready to quit on his goal, and in nearly 60 miles of racing he was back out front. This time, he was out there with no teammates helping him along, and the rest of the race was going to be a struggle. One that he was clearly up for.
As an automotive sales professional, how many times have you started a month slow and need a big finish to hit your goals? How many of those months have you justified actions that don't lead to you hitting your goal, saying things like "I have money in the bank, I'll get it next month," or "If management would get us better inventory or bring in better customers we would all sell more cars."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. makes millions of dollars as a driver and millions more in endorsements. He had every reason to pack it in after he fell to the back of the field, but in the end, with one lap left, he was running neck and neck for a win.
Finding what really motivates you and having that kind of perseverance is just as key for sales pros as it for professional racers.
Digging out of a hole is one thing, but have any of you ever considered going for true dominance?
What does that look like, what does that take? I saw a great example of that at this week's race, as well.
A fairly young driver, Joey Logano, has taken the NASCAR playoff system by storm. Coming into the race at Talladega, he had one the first two races of the playoffs. He had locked in his advance to the next round regardless of his finish at Talladega, but do you think he was content with circling that track 188 times at over 200 MPH and finish 30th. ABSOLUTELY NOT!
With a little good fortune, Logano was amongst the leaders following the penalty by Earnhardt, Jr.'s team. With the carrot of a third straight win, DOMINANCE, in front of him, Logano held the hammer down and raced Earnhardt hard once he again reached the front, holding him off on a last-second restart to win the race.
How often have you reached your goal and then taken your foot off the gas? It's an easy thing to do. You work really hard to hit a goal, and when you do it is completely natural to celebrate, to want to spend time with your family and friends, to want to sandbag for the next month's goal.
Don't get me wrong, you should celebrate wins, and family time is of great importance to me too, but that edge you have when you are being successful to jump right into your next success cannot be underestimated.
If your goal was to sell 20 cars and you do that with 3 days left in the month maybe it is OK to not work extra hours those last three days, but you need to keep your that edge by next month setting a higher goal. That month when you think you can just coast to 20 cars is the month you will only sell 12 so once you hit a goal, try raising your goal by 10% for next month.
I feel like I am very good at motivating myself and understand my why, but even I picked up some much needed inspiration from what I saw this past weekend, and hopefully sharing the tale with you can give you that extra boost to end October right.
IF YOU ARE READY TO PUT YOUR INSPIRATION TOGETHER WITH A PROVEN AUTOMOTIVE SALES PROSPECTING/CLOSING STRATEGY THAT INCREASED MY SALES 30% YEAR-OVER-YEAR WHEN IMPLEMENTED THEN MAKE SURE YOU JOIN ME FOR MY NOVEMBER 10TH WEBINAR! THIS WILL BE THE ONLY TIME I OFFER THIS EXTEMELY VALUABLE INFORMATION FREE!