Sports analogies and sales go together like a great single malt and a Cuban cigar. So its not surprising that some of the key tenets to be successful at one would translate into lessons for the other. In honor of the start of the NFL season here is my view on how to be successful at winning deals Don Shula style (347 wins most of all NFL coaches).

1. Win the Time of Possession Battle - Throughout the course of a game, the opposing teams trade possession of the ball. The length of time that a team has possession of the ball is referred to as its time of possession. While no guarantee to victory, generally speaking the longer a team has the ball throughout the game, the better. It's kind of like "keep away" - if you don't have the ball, you can't score!

Sales Lesson: The possession battle in sales is about time that the prospect spends evaluating your product vs the competitors. The evaluation process for customers has a finite time limit. The greater amount of time spent evaluating and discussing your product features and pricing the less time they will have for competitors. More time for you equals stronger relationship, more comfort, less competitive options, and more sales.

2. Win the Turnover Battle - A turnover occurs when a team unwillingly gives up possession of the ball to its opponent, either through an interception (ball thrown forward and caught by an opposing player) or by a fumble (ball carrier loses possession of the ball that the opposing team recovers). Each time a team "turns the ball over" (turnover) to its opponent, it gives itself one less and its opponent one additional opportunity to score. One too many turnovers by a team can be costly; it can be the difference between winning and losing. A team can usually live with one or two turnovers in a game, but if it turns the ball over three or more times, it usually spells DISASTER.

3. Convert on 3rd Downs - When a team has the ball, it is given a set of four downs (plays) to advance the ball at least 10 yards, or else it may have to give up possession of the ball to its opponent. 3rd down is probably the most critical down, because if it doesn't convert (advance the ball far enough after its 3rd down), it very likely on 4th down will have to give up possession of the ball by kicking it (punting) to its opponent.

Sales Lesson: Convert on the key stages in the prospects evaluation process. The challenge in sales unlike football is reps don't often know when they are on a third down and must convert. How do you figure out what down you are on? ASK! Most prospects have a process for evaluating purchases. Ask them what are the gates in the process and the criteria for passing on to the next step. If they don't have a process suggest one. Negotiate so that you are able to control how many downs you have and let your competitors guess where they are on the field.

4. Successfully rushing the ball against its opponent - In football, there are two types of plays that a team uses to advance the ball forward: Passing (throwing the ball forward) and Rushing (running with the ball from scrimmage) While ideally, a team would like to be successful at both, it is of particular importance that a team has success rushing the ball. One reason is, the more successful a team is at rushing, the longer it is able to keep the ball in its hands and out of its opponents To briefly explain, when a team rushes the ball, the game clock( used to time the action) continues to wind down, leaving less time for its opponent when it has possession; whereas passing the ball can stop the game clock if a pass thrown is incomplete (not caught). Another reason is, rushing the ball wears down the opposing team.

Sales Lesson: The rushing equivalent in sales is taking the time to understand the clients needs, what they see as their ideal solution, negotiating pricing, etc. In larger deals make sure that you take the time to understand these things before you make your pitch or proposal (the equivalent of a pass). Once the pricing is out there you have conceded to your competition for their move. The longer the customer is working with you the less they will have to work with the competition.

5. Successfully stop the opposing team from rushing - Just think opposite of what was just described in the previous point