Brain in the Game | Sport Mind Coaching Podcast
Dave Diggle
Episode Seventeen – Selling isn't Selling, if it's Solving (A Coach's View)
Hello and welcome back to Brain In The Game, the podcast specifically designed for athletes, coaches, and parents who are looking to do their sport just that little bit smarter. Brain In The Game is that mental handbook that nobody told you about, and I'm your host, Dave Diggle.
In this episode, we're going to look at why selling isn't selling if it's solving. I want to start by telling you my philosophies on selling, and why I have ingrained them in my business. Initially when I set up my coaching and consulting business, I designed it in such a way that I didn't sell. We gain our clientele and those who come through our programs through referrals or people who have been through the program and spoken about it. That's essentially the best way to get clients, when you hear of someone who has had success and they're raving fans about it. That's the place you want to go and explore. That's the program or coach you want. They have a history or something that others think is the right thing for them.
That's important for people to understand – we don't go out and sell, we don't have advertising material that we drop through letter boxes, we don't put posters on venues, we don't buy ads in magazines. That's a purposeful strategy we adopted. However, back some ten years ago when I built the business, I had a really different view on what “selling” was. I'm talking about selling in a coaching podcast because they're essentially the same thing. Let me explain.
When I used to think about selling I used to think of the “used car salesman”. If you're reading this and you sell used cars, I apologise straight up. However, when I first went out into the coaching and seminar arena, I had the belief that a salesman was someone trying to sell me something I didn't want. They were trying to convince me I needed it, and that put up barriers for me and a wall that I wasn't willing to let people overcome.
Rightly so, in some cases, because there are those out there that try to sell you something you don't want, who think that by making it shiny or bold, you'll fall for it. Realistically, selling and the used car salesman philosophy isn't what I'm about. I'm about encouraging athletes to explore options; to find solutions they may not have realised; and to help them see there are different ways of approaching things they may not have been exposed to before. In the realm of a coach, my beliefs and approach to coaching, I do have to sell. But it's not selling them something they don't want, it's showing them things they may not have considered.
The reason I'm talking about this in this podcast is because a couple weeks ago during one of our Mastermind classes, something happened that I felt I needed to discuss. The two coaches that made these two comments I'm about to talk about have been through the program, and I'd expect them to think of it differently than they did at the time. We were talking about the relationship and dynamic between a coach and an athlete. One of the coaches turned around and said “The athlete needs to do what they're told because I'm the coach and I know better. They need to trust me and do what I tell them to do.” And then on the other side, another coach said “It's not – it's for them. I have this philosophy and I put it out there, and if they pick it up, all well and good. If they don't, then they've missed out.”
I understand where these two coaches were coming from. The coach that said they were there to make the athlete do what they're told, that's an old, traditional coaching philosophy that so many coaches still practice. In some influences, that works – and in realistic terms, it tends to work better for younger athletes than it does for older athletes who may have a better understanding of their own bodies, objectives, and mind. The coach that said “I'll just put it out there”, I know where that comes from; from the old belief that “If I just put all the information out, the athlete will recognise it and adopt it.”
For those who've listened to my other podcasts or have come to my clinics or seminars, you know I often talk about being the “sniper” or “machine gunner”. When we hear coaches say “I just put the information out and it's up to the athlete to pick it up”, that's the machine gun mentality. “I'm just going to fire it all out there and hope something hits.”
You want to be a sniper, and give the information in such a way that it sits exceptionally well with the athlete; in a way where they see its relevance and they adopt it.
When I heard these two coaches on communicating their message to their athletes, it made me realise if they were in a normal industry like sales, they would crash and burn. Both of them were coming at the sales of their ideas in such a narrow-minded view that it was very hit and miss. We discussed how it works, how an athlete hears information, process it, and applies it. It made me realise that over the years, I had become a salesman. Sometimes I've been more effective than others. I believe – because I see it differently now – my role is to show them the relevance of my thoughts, my approach, my strategy and my tactics, and how they solve their issue.
First is to change our perspective on what selling is. It's not the use car salesman, but the solution-based salesman. “I'm here to recognise and solve your issue for you.” We need to look at what our role is as a coach. What are we trying to give these athletes? Are we trying to drive the boat and they have to hop on and come for the ride? Are we behind them and pushing blindly? What are we doing?
When I was a gymnastic coach, I always believed my role was to communicate and share the information; to encourage them to look at options and guide them. I never believed in pushing them blindly, nor in browbeating them to do what they were told. It was about conveying information. What they do with it depends on how they receive it. When I'm coaching today and I have either elite or professional athletes, I need to understand the demographic and psychographic. With individual athletes I need to understand their values, beliefs, objectives, and goals; whether they're visually or emotionally driven; whether internally or externally referenced. All these play a massive part in how I put together the package for that athlete.
When I'm looking at a club or organisation, I need to understand the philosophy of that organisation. I need to understand their objective – is it to win the next grand slam? Or to see a bigger picture of more athletes on the court? I need to understand whether it's driven by an active committee, or by one person's dream. Understanding this psychographic enables me to sell what I believe is the solution to their issues. Only when I understand how they're conveyed to the athlete can I understand the specific issues for the athlete, and devise a specific plan.
If I were a heart surgeon, and you had a heart condition, and I rocked up to your bed and said “Right, I'm your surgeon. I can do this operation... it's not specifically for your condition, but it may help.” Would you allow me to operate on your heart? What if I rocked up and said “I can do this operation. It was designed specifically for your condition.” Would you now allow me to operate? If you know me, probably not because I'm not a surgeon – but if I were, which one of those would you be more comfortable with? I'm guessing probably the one that was specifically designed for you and your issue.
As a coach – someone trying to guide an athlete to their objective, whether that be an elite athlete into the professional world or a professional athlete into the Olympics, commonwealth games, etc. – I need to understand exactly what their issues are. When I take on a client, the first thing I do before anything else is go and watch them in their environment. Competing and training in their sport, interacting and training with their peers and coaches. My job is to sit and watch them, and make as many mental notes as I possibly can. To look at the way they communicate, take on information, and look for information. Then I assess them and ask them what issue they believe they have. I get the issue, understand the athlete, and develop the plan. Then it comes down to selling the plan to the athlete.
Of course, I'm heavily invested in getting that athlete to where they want to go. Partly because of moral and ethical reasons, partly because I'm a professional, and partly because my business depends on it. Remember I said I don't advertise. I rely on word of mouth to bring my clients to my door. I'm heavily reliant on the outcome of that athlete. It's in my interest to make sure I build such a watertight program so that the athlete will achieve.
People buy in because it solves their specific problem, not because it's a generically great idea. As a coach, if you're coming from a place of moral and ethical viewpoints, and understand your role and place in the athlete's development, and you have an in-depth understanding of the specific issue; then you have a coach's obligation to make the athlete see your viewpoint. Then if they get all the facts and choose not to take your viewpoint, you can step back. You've done your best and have shown them what you can do for them. They've chosen to not accept or apply it based on all the information. If they hear you out and you can sell your approach in such a way that they understand that you understand, and that you have a plan on how to apply it, the likelihood is they'll turn around and ask you to come on board.
What if your plan doesn't work? This is the number one reason coaches don't back themselves with elite and professional athletes: fear of making an error. They stick with the tried and true status quo and generic approaches. There's nothing wrong with making an error as long as you can recognise and adjust. Some action is always better than no action in resolving an issue. If you understand the athlete and their specific problem, if your application isn't working, you'll still be able to calibrate along the way. “We're going down a path that won't give us the outcome we thought it would. Let's tweak this and move in this direction.” An athlete will go “Wow, they've bought in, this guy understands my issues. I'm going to trust this person.”
That's essentially it. As a salesman of your philosophies and your approach, the athlete needs to trust you. Who's the salesman now? Is it you as a coach? Do you know exactly what makes your athletes tick? Do you know the goals they've set to reach that objective? Do you know if they're driven by visuals, auditory signals, or emotions? Do you know if they're internally or externally referenced? Do you understand and see their issues and the pain they're going through, and have been able to come up with a solution?
Do you trust yourself enough as a coach to say “Come here, I can help you with this.”? That's the sign of a really good coach. Someone who believes in what they do and who has the behavioural flexibility to understand multiple peoples' behavioural patterns and structures and strategies, and to come up with multiple different action plans. Generic plans don't necessarily give everyone in your group the best outcome as individuals. People who can have a multi-dimensional approach to multi-dimensional problems.
Copyright 2012-2022 Dave Diggle
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