Kobe Bryant and the value of 24 – A Sales Mentality
As a sales professional, our number one most valuable asset is our time. No one else portrays the “time is money” mantra more than commissioned sales professionals. For most of us, the formula is pretty simple; if we aren’t making sales, we aren’t getting paid. With 24 hours in a day, every minute counts. Time on the phone calling new prospects, answering emails, driving to and from appointments, and oh yeah, don’t forget, closing deals! This doesn’t even take into account things like eating, staying in shape, time with family and friends, and of course, sleep. Read any book on success or listen to anyone who is successful in your field and I am sure you will find one common theme, and that is the idea of sacrifice. To move into that elite tier, it is going to come with sacrifice. One of those common sacrifices? Sleep.
At the 2016 ESPY awards, Kobe Bryant was on stage accepting the Icon Award. As part of his acceptance speech, he said, “We aren’t on this stage just because of talent or ability. We’re up here because of 4 a.m. We’re up here because of two-a-days or five-a-days.” There are a number of Kobe Bryant stories and anecdotes about his ridiculous work ethic, and his drive to be the greatest. A lot of those have to do with how he spends his time and the things he sacrificed to MAKE that time. Former teammates would share stories about how Kobe would arrive at 6 am practice, drenched in sweat, as he had been working out on his own since 4 am that same morning. According to one of team USA’s trainers, Bryant once held a workout from 4:15 am to 11:00 am and refused to leave until he made 800 shots. The perfect quote to sum it all up came from a scout in 2008 in regards to Bryant. “Allen Iverson loves to play when the lights come on. Kobe loves doing the s**t before the lights come on.” Was this work ethic and insane schedule worth it? 5 rings, 2 finals MVP’s, a regular season MVP, a couple gold medals, and both number 8 and number 24 hanging in the rafters at the Staples Center… You tell me.
After reading that, you may ask yourself, “How would getting up at 4:00 am and shooting 100 jump shots help my sales numbers?” Well, it probably wouldn’t. But I would then look in the mirror and truly ask yourself if you are utilizing the 24 hours you get everyday appropriately. If your morning routine consists of waking up, hopping in the shower, grabbing a few gulps of coffee, and then driving to the office, then I think we can both agree you may not be utilizing your morning hours to the fullest.
Take advantage of the “golden hours.”
One great benefit of getting out of bed early and starting your day early is that while everyone else sleeps, you are getting a much important “step ahead”. The office can be distracting. At home, the kids are running around and the TV is on. And let’s face it, in sales, once 9:00 am hits, who knows what is going to be thrown on your plate. Instead of having to worry about getting emails out and follow up proposals throughout the day, why not get up a couple hours earlier and get them done before you “start your day?” Do you think Kobe liked getting up before everyone else? Probably not. But at the same time, you could make an argument that he was better than everyone else.
As a sales professional, you need to maximize your time. You need to focus on the things that make you money: calling clients, knocking on doors, and getting deal sheets signed. Take the hours in the morning (or night before) to PLAN for your day. The moment you sit down at the office or start your car for your first visit, there should be no question what the game plan is for the next 4-5 hours. Use the beautiful silence of the early morning to plan your day, and I think the results will follow.
The morning is also a great time to physically prepare yourself as well. Try a morning workout and see how it affects your energy throughout the rest of the day. The more intense the workout, the better. I would recommend a group fitness or cross fit type of exercise. Something that really pushes you. If you can work up a sweat and at 7 am tell yourself, “the hardest part of my day is now over”, then the rest of your day is a piece of cake. While the competition sleeps, you grind. Simple as that. And please…please at the very least eat breakfast. Don’t be the guy or gal who needs to spend their first hour in the office drinking coffee and eating a muffin, while “getting ready” for the day.
I think it is ironic Kobe wore number 8 and then number 24. A lot of us think of a work day as an 8-hour block of our time where we are “working.” Shift your mindset to focus on number 24 instead. You get 24 hours in the day, how you manage and maximize each one is up to you. But don’t complain when the guy who sits next to you is beating you every month when he or she starts their day while you are battling the snooze button. When in doubt, ask yourself, what would Mamba do?
