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Sales Motivation - Vince Lombardi and The Second Effort

By
Real Estate Agent with PREA Signature Realty - www.preasignaturerealty.com

A Brief Profile of Vince LombardiVince Lombardi

ESPN named Vince Lombardi "Coach of the Century."  In 1959, Vince Lombardi took over as head coach of the hapless Green Bay Packers with a record of 1-10-1.  Starting from day one, he transformed the Green Bay Packers from perennial losers to champions.  In doing so, he was a great motivator and instilled in his players a sense of commitment and mental toughness.  Over 9 seasons, he amassed 89 wins culminating in six divisional championships, five NFL championships and two Superbowl victories. 

His Business Philosophy - The Second Effort

Vince Lombardi developed players who were committed to the "second effort."  In football terms, the "second effort" was the additional effort expended after the initial hit.  It required the player to surge ahead after initially being stopped.  Vince Lombardi explained that "football is a game of inches."  For Lombardi, it was important to take advantage of each opportunity.  The Lombardi philosophy transcends football and can easily be applied to sales.  In fact, in 1969, Vince Lombardi directed and produced an instructional sakes video entitled "The Second Effort" in which he applied his on-the-field philosophy to sales.  Here is a clip from the movie:  The Second Effort

212 Movie - The Extra Degree

Adopting a similar principle, Sam Parker developed the concept of the "extra degree" and directed a movie entitled "212 - The Extra Degree."  In the movie, Mr. Parker initially uses the physical properties of water to show how the "extra degree" makes a difference.  At 211 degrees, water is simply hot.  At 212 degrees, water boils and produces steam.  The initial premise is that the "extra degree" is the difference between inert water and steam that can, for example, power a train.  From this initial premise, Sam Parker uses examples from sports ranging from golf to auto racing to swimming and more to show that the difference between winning and losing.  Mr. Parker quantifies the difference both in terms of the small difference between first place and second place using number strokes, car lengths, seconds, etc. and the difference in the payout between first place and second place.  Here is a link to the 212 Movie on the Just212.com website: 212 Movie.

Keys to Success

Whether you are motivated by the words of Vince Lombardi or by images of the 212 movie, the underlying principles are the same.  Success at sales starts with a winning attitude.  Here are the keys to developing a winning sales philosophy:

  • Be Positive - Visualize Success - Winning is a Habit.
  • Decide on your Goals - Develop a Plan - Take Action Now.
  • Never Stop Improving and Learning - Make Adjustments - Learn from Mistakes
  • Be Persistent - Work Hard - Develop your Own Winning Style - Do More than Others.
  • Take Control - Be Responsible for your Actions.

If you are looking to elevate your sales performance, the 212 Movie or The Second Effort are both worth a look.  Both videos are available for purchase for commercial use at sales meetings.

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PREA SIGNATURE REALTY

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PREA Signature Realty is a full service brokerage located at 1709 Park Avenue in the Lafayette Square neighborhood of the City of St. Louis.  PREA Signature proudly serves the following city neighborhoods:  Lafayette Square, Soulard, Benton Park, Benton Park West, Downtown Loft District, Forest Park Southwest, Central West End, Tower Grove East, Tower Grove South, Compton Heights, Shaw, The Hill, Dogtown, Carondelet, Holly Hills, St. Louis Hills, Dutchtown, and the Other Historic Neighborhoods of the City of Saint Louis, Missouri. 

The opinions expressed herein represent the opinions of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of PREA Signature Realty.  All photos and written content were produced by PREA Signature Realty.  All Rights Reserved - PREA Signature Realty (2009).  This content may not be reproduced or reprinted, except for Active Rain re-blogging, without express written permission of PREA Signature Realty.

For more information, visit our website at www.PREASignatureRealty.com or contact Ryan Shaughnessy at 314-971-4381 or send an email to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com

Comments (11)

Jamie Dumaine-Russell
RE/MAX Alliance - Branford, CT

Ryan - I have been a long time fan of Vince Lombardi and remember watching those snow blizzard games in Green Bay.  I have a CD of the 212 movie that I love and watch whenever I need that extra motivation.  You keys for success are spot on and a plan that we should all follow.

Nov 16, 2009 09:42 AM
Doug Jones
Mortgage Magic - San Jose, CA
Mortgage Broker - NMLS 286668

Great...I have on my wall a plaque from Lombardi What it takes to be Number One.. It is great motivation

Nov 16, 2009 10:50 AM
Mara Hawks
First Realty Auburn - Auburn, AL
Inactive-2012 REALTOR - Homes for Sale Auburn Real Estate, AL

A Classic... leader, motivational speaker...he led the way for many...wonderful, motivating post! thank you, Ryan.

Nov 16, 2009 10:52 AM
Dan Edwards 425-276-7008
Keller Williams Realty - Bellevue - Bellevue, WA

Nice, I feel like i am so close to that point.  Focus and pushing through to the second effort.

Nov 16, 2009 11:08 AM
Sharon Alters
Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty - 904-673-2308 - Fleming Island, FL
Realtor - Homes for Sale Fleming Island FL

Ryan, very interesting post. Second effort...that is what is required to stay in our business right now, don't you think?

Nov 16, 2009 01:00 PM
Janice Roosevelt
Keller Williams Brandywine Valley - West Chester, PA
OICP ABR, ePRO,Ecobroker

I'm wondering if Mr. Lomabardi is perhaps one of THE most quoted individuals on the planet.

Nov 16, 2009 11:32 PM
Ryan Shaughnessy
PREA Signature Realty - www.preasignaturerealty.com - Saint Louis, MO
Broker/Attorney - Your Lafayette Square Real Estate Partner

Donna - I plan on renting the move "The Second Effort."  I enjoyed the clip and would love to hear Vince Lombardi compare football and sales at length.  I was surprised that I could only find it from a single venue and it isn't exactly cheap.

Doug - That was a classic Vince Lombardi speech.  I thought about including the text in the post.

Mara - I just need an extra push this week and dusted off two of my favorite resources for motivation and inspiration.

Dan - I like the "second effort" analogy.  Too often, we stop and don't push forward when we are on the verge of reaching the next plateau.

Sharon - No doubt about it.  You won't survive without the "second effort".  It is the difference between being average and being great.

Janice - He is... but who doesn't love his quotes.  They are full of practical advice and wisdom and go to character, commitment, hard work, preparation, etc.  - all of the things that it takes to be successful in sales.

Nov 17, 2009 04:43 AM
Guy Thomas
WR Starkey Mortgage - Colorado Springs, CO

Ryan you did another great job revitalizing an old message. The beauty of the keys to success is that they are just as powerful now as when they were first realized. I hadn't thought of Vince in a long time. He was something to watch as a kid.

Nov 17, 2009 02:20 PM
Maria Morton
Platinum Realty - Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Real Estate 816-560-3758

Ryan, I really shouldn't have read this post so late at night. Now I'm all motivated to do instead of sleep. Great post! Thanks!

Nov 19, 2009 05:17 PM
Liz Moras Migic
Chilliwack, BC
Chilliwack, British Columbia - Realtor

ryan didn't you do a series on Vince a while back? You should put those links on this post!

Nov 22, 2009 02:59 PM
Ryan Shaughnessy
PREA Signature Realty - www.preasignaturerealty.com - Saint Louis, MO
Broker/Attorney - Your Lafayette Square Real Estate Partner

Guy - Thanks for the reblog.  I would love to see the whole Lombardi sales training video sometime.

Maria - I love the words of Lombardi and visuals from the 212 Movie.  It definitely has me motivated.

Liz - I didn't do a Lombardi series.  I do use his quotes fairly often.  I think the series that you are thinking about was the Yogi Berra series.

Nov 22, 2009 03:13 PM