Super Bowl Lessons @ Burke’s Billing Builders

For the third time in four years. The New England Patriots picked up their lunch pails, headed off to the title game, and walked out with the Lombardi trophy. Other than chalking up winning to a statistical aberration after decades of losing seasons, you have to ask yourself, “What’s going on here?”

I’ve been fortunate to live in the general neighborhood where the Patriots play. (In fact, by uncle dug the hole for their first stadium in Foxboro.) So, I’ve been able to see how they’ve built this team into a world champion. And I believe there are several things that they’ve done which you can emulate in your organization.

One of the most obvious and, I believe, most important is the strong leadership and vision of the management. Head Coach Bill Belichick (the GSM), Offensive Coach Charlie Weis and Defensive Coach Romeo Crennel (the LSM’s) have provided leadership for their team unlike any other team in the NFL.

The players can’t wait to hear what the coaches have in mind each week about how to defeat their opponent. (Do you have this response to your sales meetings?) The players have such respect for the plan and the people providing it, they can’t wait to play their role to help the team win. Everyone understands his role; there are no Prima Dona’s. They have superstar performance without the superstar problems. What a terrific model for a sales team.

The one thing the players say they love about the leadership is how the coaches have broken down what they need to do into just a few simple elements. Do A, B, and C, and chances are they’ll win. Nothing really complicated, just leadership that is clear, concise, and consistent. The coaches are tough, no question. In fact, I saw Coach Belichick chewing out some players on the sideline during the Super Bowl because they were doing too much “chawing” at the opponent instead of paying attention to their job. Even the best professionals need to be kept on task, don’t they?

If you notice, the coaches never take credit for winning. Do they celebrate victories? You bet, but as Coach Belichick has often said, “I didn’t make one tackle. We lay out the plan but the players have to make the plays.” And the players make those plays because they don’t want to disappoint their teammates and coaches. This is a great example of how giving away power actually makes you more powerful.

The ownership of the organization has given them all the tools necessary to win. Nothing extravagant like some other teams, but Bob Kraft and his family certainly are not asking the Patriots to win with smoke and mirrors. One of their hallmarks is they don’t overpay for talent. (How many times have you been tempted to hire a “top gun” sales person but he/she wanted the moon?) The Patriots won’t do it. And you know what? It hasn’t hurt the recruitment of top performers at all. Why? I believe it’s because top performers only want to work with other top performers. Why did Corey Dillon want to leave the Cincinnati Bengals after six years? It wasn’t because he wasn’t making enough money…. it was because they weren’t winners. He was willing to work for less money to work with winners. Top performers are like that.

The Patriots are really a remarkable organization. And they embody some very enviable traits for your sales organization. Take a look at how they do it and how these might be applied to your situation. It’s amazing what you can learn between the commercials on the Super Bowl!

Dave Burke is President of Burke Media Marketing, Inc, an advertising sales training consultancy. Dave works with radio, TV, and cable sales teams and their clients to help them dominate their markets. He can be reached at (603) 746-5588 or http://www.BurkeMediaMarketing.com