Jeremy Lin’s Six Rules for Successful Selling

If you watch closely, you’ll see and hear the sales lessons Jeremy Lin has for us. It’s in the way he plays, the way he goes about his business, the way he’s taken “linsanity” in stride. You’ll also hear his sales advice in post-game interviews and the plethora of feature stories about his improbable rise to fame.

For those who’ve missed Lin’s sales tips directly, here they are together in one place:

1. Stick with it
Plenty of people are going to say not to you. They’re not going to see in you what others see. They’re not going to give you a chance. Don’t give up that easily. Keep at it, know that tenacity and showing up is a significant part of what makes successful people who they are.

2. Stay humble
Have a great quarter? Exceed quota by a mile? Don’t get cocky. Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow you’d better put you hard hat on and get back to work. Because not only is this not easy, once you’re successful, more people will be gunning for you. Working harder to beat you. Even rooting for your failure. Stay humble and focused on what’s important, including the regular hard work that can keep you operating at an elite level.

3. Work to get better
Even with success, part of your game may still need work. Your scoring and assist volume is great, but your turnover rate needs improvement. As good as you are now, you need to get better. You’re not going to score 30 points every game. And if you’re having an off game from the field, you’d better help your team win by keeping control of the ball. The more skills you bring to the table, the more likely you are to compete and win every single game.

4. Show some emotion
Selling is no different than sports in this way. There are very few robotic, successful salespeople. Successful selling is an emotional game too. You can’t let the bad days and lows get to you, but you also need to feed off of your hot streaks to keep working, keep performing, and elevate yourself to a new level of success. Your emotions can also drive greater performance from those around you.

5. Pass the ball
It’s not all about you. You’re part of a team, and if you win but the team fails, you won’t have your job for long. Sometimes, the best chances of scoring (or winning the deal) means passing the ball to someone else. Getting their help overcoming an objection, or taking advantage of their position in the account (or the market or on the court) to get the ball in the basket. Sales professionals who use the team around them consistently achieve higher numbers, month after month.

6. Every game is a new game
Have a bad month? Next month the clock starts over. Have a great quarter? You’d better have your “A” game next quarter too. It works both ways. But just because you have a bad game and your detractors consider it validation of what they believed all along doesn’t make them right. It’s up to you to prove them wrong next game, next month, next quarter. Your past performance does not define your capabilities or your future potential. Use that to your advantage.