Sales in the Rough? Time to Tighten Your Swing
I was sitting down for a curry dinner with a friend last week.
I asked him how his day was.
He said, “Great, I had a golf lesson.”
I said, “How did that go?”
He replied, “Well, my coach asked what I normally shoot?”. I said, ‘Either 80 or 100 it depends on the day.’”
His coach looked at him and said, “That’s because you don’t have a process.”
That stuck with me.
Because whether you’re out on the golf course or deep in business to business (B2B) sales, success rarely comes down to raw talent alone.
It’s about the process…
Sales or Golf? Turns Out The Same Rules Apply.
Just like golf, sales can be unpredictable. One day you’re nailing it down the middle, or from 14-feet and the next your power slice sends you into the rough and the putter well that stays ice-cold. This doesn’t mean you’re a bad golfer, it just means your process isn’t dialled in.
High-performance sales, like a great golf swing, isn’t about perfection but rather progress. It’s about Consistency. Control. Confidence. A Growth Mindset.
Five Power Plays to Keep Your Sales Team Out of the Rough:
1. Tee It Up: Start With Clarity
In golf, you don’t just walk up and hit the ball. You check the wind. What’s the lie? Select your club. Line up the shot.
In sales? The same story applies. You don’t just start dialling and hoping for the best.
You need to know:
● Who are we targeting?
● What does your Ideal Customer Profile look like?
● What’s our advance we are going after?
Know who you’re playing with. Lock in your Ideal Customer Profile early. Qualify leads efficiently. Don’t waste precious time chasing prospects that don’t fit.
2. The Backswing: Build a Repeatable Routine
Every good golfer has a consistent backswing. It sets the tone for the entire shot.
Sales is no different. If your sales teams are winging it on calls or showing up to meetings unprepared – you’re setting yourself up for a shank.
Create structure around your process. Map out your key sales stages. Use sales tools and technology to build reminders and follow-ups into your workflow.
3. The Follow Through: Sell with Intent
The follow-through in a golf swing is where the magic happens. It’s about staying committed all the way to the end of the swing.
In sales, too many people give up too early. They rush the pitch. Forget to understand. They skip steps. They stop listening.
Train your team to stay in the moment. Ask better questions. Listen harder. Use persuasive language. Focus less on selling and more on solving. A committed, structured follow-through enables higher conversion.
4. The Practice Range: Review and refine
No one improves without spending time on the range. Analysing. Checking the Grip. Working on the Stance.
Sales… the same rules apply.
If you’re not reviewing calls, analysing meetings or giving regular coaching, you’re relying on luck.
Aim to set up a weekly rhythm. One-on-one call reviews. Deal coaching sessions. Peer-to-peer feedback. It’s not about catching the sales team out, it’s about building them up. Supporting them and giving them a good read.
5. The 19th Hole: Keep relationships strong
Win humbly. Lose Graciously.
After a round most head to the 19th hole for a chat. A laugh and a recap on the best and the worst of the day. In sales, this is the post-sale moment most teams neglect.
Follow up after the deal is won (or lost). Check in. Say thanks. Ask how things are going. When relationships are nurtured, referrals come naturally. And future deals get easier.
So, what’s the real lesson here?
Back at dinner, my mate admitted something else.
He said, “When I followed the coach’s advice, I hit straighter. More confidence. Less guesswork.”
That’s exactly what I see across the highest performing B2B sales teams. They don’t wing it. They don’t rely on heroics. They build rhythm.
They love the game. They show up when it’s hard. And they stick to what works. Sales doesn’t need to be complicated. It needs to be Clear. Simple. Repeatable.
So as you tee it up and look to smash it down the middle, keep your eye on the ball, and don’t forget to ask for the referral.
Want to Stop Winging It and Start Winning?
Let’s build a sales process that feels easy to run – and hard to beat.
Book a Discovery Call with Arrowbow