Book Report: “You Gotta Get In The Game” by Billy Cox

The past year has been almost overwhelming in regards to the amount of change that has occurred.  Not only has the economic landscape changed but there has also been a huge shift in the way business/sales are being conducted.  At this point, I am sure that the majority of sales professionals have heard of Sales 2.0 and the changes it is bringing to sales models and sales processes.  It seems to me that most companies and their employees know they need to do something but they struggle with what they need to do to change. 

In the book "You Gotta Get In The Game," Billy Cox challenges you to think about playing the game, not watching it.  He mentions that if you only watch from the sidelines you're allowing your peers, your competition and your industry to pass you by.  As sales professionals, we are all playing in a new league and the game, as we know it, has changed.  There are now new techniques in how to prospect, new techniques in how to move a sale and more importantly, new techniques in how to close a deal.  At this point in time, you seriously need take a look at what you have changed in your current process and what techniques you have learned.  

This book gives great recommendations on simple techniques that you can start applying today in your daily task and actions items.  The chapter that had the biggest impact on me was "Raise the Bar".  This chapter is short and very simple: give more today than you did yesterday.  If you apply this one very simple rule you will continue to close more business, influence more people and continue to improve yourself personally and professionally.  

In the book, Cox refers to the story of Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile under 4 minutes.  Roger was told by doctors that it was humanly impossible to run that fast and there was a grave possibility of his heart exploding.  Despite the warnings, Roger refused to let fear or medical recommendation stop him.  As an untrained runner, Roger disciplined himself by setting aside only 45 minutes per day to try to beat his old record.  Sometimes he only beat his record by milliseconds but he continued to push himself more and more every day.  This is what Cox is challenging all of us to do:  continue to push yourself.   

Cox also talks about in-depth about discipline.  Typically when I hear the word "discipline" I think about a child being punished for not cleaning his/her room.  That is negative discipline.  Cox challenges you to strive for positive discipline.  If you are focused and discipline yourself on a daily basis you can "Raise The Bar" for yourself.  The best quote to demonstrate this point is, "You will always be disciplined – you can either choose to discipline yourself or life will do it for you."

All and all this is a simple read with a couple of quick stories to help us "Get In The Game".