I am a big NBA fan and I really enjoyed watching the Finals this year. It was amazing to watch Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors emerge as the MVP. It’s not because I like to see LeBron get shut down (although I do enjoy that!). It’s because Iguodala became the first player in the history of the NBA to win the Finals MVP award without starting every game of the series.
He wasn’t a starter when the Finals began, which partially explains why the Cleveland Cavaliers went up 2 games to 1 before Golden State got their groove. In the course of the series, which the Warriors turned around and won 4-2, Iguodala went from being the first player off the bench (their sixth man, in basketball jargon) to becoming a starter and ultimately the MVP.
How many sales organizations have a sixth man (or woman), ready to become the MVP? Stop and look at your current team and ask yourself if there are one or two players on the team who are ready to emerge—to do much more.
3 Indicators that a Salesperson is Your Next MVP
Here are three indicators that a salesperson is ready to emerge as your MVP:
- They rarely talk about how busy they are, but instead keep reminding you that they can do more.
- They continually sell new business and know how to use the team around them to serve their clients well.
- When you’ve handed them a tough assignment in the past, they nailed it.
Now Consider How to Help MVPs Excel
Once you’ve identified your possible future MVPs, think what you can do to help them emerge and excel. What opportunities can you present to them? What high-potential accounts can you assign to them? What additional resources can you point them toward? How can you help them better understand their strengths, so they will use them more often? What else can you do to help that salesperson move from competence to greatness?
Imagine finding one or two “sixth men” every year and coaching them toward MVP status.
