Football, fantasy or reality, is in season right now, and it is true that all year long I often think and talk like a football player or coach in my role as a sales coach.
• “You’re out of bounds.”
• “That’s a Hail Mary!”
• “That’s a long shot.”
• “What do we have to do to win?”
Understanding the game and coordinating a successful football team requires consistent study, planning and practice. Like a high-performing sales team, a winning football team requires a high level of desire and commitment to:
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Teammates
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Skill development
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Disciplined practice
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Courage, motivation and respect for one another
Working with the team and coaching staff at Moeller, I saw firsthand how much the “sports” of sales and football have in common. The following sales productivity tools are inspired by the practices and systems that improve players and overall performance. Selling is a competition, and just like in football, the right team, perfect practice and smart planning win the game and increase sales.
9 Sales Productivity Tools
1. Practice Schedule
All professionals need practice. Every team has a detailed practice schedule that breaks the game into units: offensive line, defensive line, running backs, linebackers, special teams, two-minute drill and punt return.
Create a practice schedule for your sales team that focuses on key sales skills such as asking for introductions, qualifying a prospect, the initial call, developing the relationship and delivering a presentation.
2. Sales Prospect Scorecard
A Scorecard is like yard markers on a football field. They tell you how far you need to go to score and how much ground you must defend.
The Sales Prospect Scorecard gives you an accurate read on the likelihood of winning or losing a deal and clarifies exactly where you are in your sales process.
3. Sales Huddles
Just like football huddles, sales huddles create a real-time communication system so leaders can make real-time decisions.
Set a consistent sales huddle schedule and stick to it. Use this time to gather current information and coach to what is happening now.
4. Personal Goal Setting to Business Plan
Football programs evaluate objectives based on past performance, expected competition and the talent available. Do the same with your sales organization. Have each salesperson identify personal goals and translate them into a personal business plan they are committed to executing to increase sales. Then after meeting with them and establishing their ‘extraordinary’ year goals, agree to annual goals based on their personal goals, previous performance and market expectations.
Download our 7-page Personal & Business Work Plan!
5. Sales Success Formula
Every football team knows what metrics they must hit to win: required yards on first down, completion percentage, yards per play and more. Your Sales Success Formula should clarify the critical steps in your sales process, conversion ratios and common choke points, giving you a targeted coaching roadmap. Get specific.
6. Ideal Week
Each team enters a game with a clear plan. They know which plays to run in specific situations and which defenses to call based on field position and tendencies. Flexibility is understood, but the plan guides the game.
Create an Ideal Week for your salespeople. Define what a productive sales week looks like. This is one of the most important sales productivity tools you can implement.
7. Pre-Call Checklist
During practice, offensive coordinators review pre-snap situations so players can adjust quickly depending on the defense.
Use a Pre-Call Checklist to help salespeople prepare for important appointments. Coach them to execute required steps and Q3 (Qualify, Qualify, Qualify) the prospect. Role-play to help them adjust based on the prospect’s responses.
8. Post-Call Debrief
Football coaches review film to measure performance against planned execution. The Post-Call Debrief allows sales managers to evaluate the call, provide corrective action, suggest follow-up steps and coach for skill improvement.
9. Performance Recording
Football teams rely on digital recordings for immediate performance feedback. Reviewing film is more impactful than relying on memory or data alone.
Record sales role-plays during training sessions. Your salespeople will benefit greatly from observing themselves, allowing their performance to be coached, refined and improved.
FAQ: Sales Productivity Tools
How do sales productivity tools help increase sales?
Sales productivity tools give sales teams structure, clarity and consistency. When managers and salespeople follow tools like scorecards, huddles, practice schedules and debriefs, they improve daily behaviors and make more effective sales decisions, which directly helps increase sales.
What is the most important sales productivity tool?
While every tool has value, the Sales Success Formula and the Sales Probability Scorecard are foundational. They help sales teams understand where they are in the sales process, what must improve and what actions drive wins.
Why are football concepts used to explain sales productivity?
Football and selling share core elements: preparation, practice, discipline and execution. Using football analogies makes it easier to understand how structured systems and consistent coaching help salespeople improve skills and increase sales.
How often should sales teams use these tools?
Daily and weekly. Practice schedules, huddles and activity plans should be used every week. Pre-call checklists and post-call debriefs should be used on every meaningful sales opportunity.
Can new salespeople benefit from these tools?
Yes. These sales productivity tools help new salespeople build strong habits early, shorten their learning curve and develop the skills needed to increase sales with confidence.
