Photo and blog by Sharman Dow
“The best offense is a good defense.”
So many times we have heard these words of wisdom, but it wasn’t until I started watching football that I understood what they meant. In fact, the first place I heard it was in relationship to football.
In football there is one team, but two sides of the team — offense and defense. The offense is the scoring side of the team and will have the ball in their possession. The defense prevents the other team from making a touchdown when the other team has the ball. The offense has got to be good — really good — to make the score. But it is also the defense’s responsibility to make sure they stop the opposing team and give their team good field position. This is so when the offense side takes possession of the ball they are in a good position to score. It’s the entire team’s effort that wins games. One cannot do it without the other.
But what does it really mean to us as women in business? How can we apply this strategy to our everyday business life? For me, it means being prepared and willing to go the extra mile in equipping myself with the right tools – having organized thoughts and training, being defensive in my efforts. It’s being prepared for any obstacle my competitors want to throw my way — being proactive. The defense team could always catch an interception and run with the ball. So if this opportunity is presented to you in business, your defense strategy is up, and it’s “game-on.”
Your best defensive strategy is in planning and preparing how to handle a situation and utilizing your knowledge and skill to the best of your ability. You need to have a good offensive strategy, but at the same time be defensive in your endeavors. You can be offensive and cover up your mistakes along the way to making the touchdown or make excuses as to why you don’t have a game plan. But it would be more prudent to have a good defense, thus keeping your mistakes at a minimal.
I learned this the hard way in attempting to sell a client his Commercial Package Insurance. When I met with this one particular client, I knew he was preparing to leave his current broker. He was ready and ripe to make a new decision on who would handle his insurance. We met and reviewed the proposal. I knew I had a good price, but as I later found out, price was not the only thing that would make the sale. I thought I would win the account purely by presenting a lower premium.
That was my offensive strategy, and I thought I would make a touchdown. After I presented my proposal, another broker showed his offer. He knew a lot more than I did about the product he was selling. I had the better price, but this broker had more knowledge of the coverages needed for this client. After losing the sale and gulping my pride, I approached the client and asked him why he did not purchase from me. He replied, “He was more knowledgeable than you about my needs.”
His words were like a dagger piercing my heart and wounding my pride, but I became determined not to ever let this happen again. I had a good offensive strategy, but my defense was weak.
From that moment on, I came prepared and understood my client’s needs prior to our first meeting. I spent many hours studying my product so that I would never be caught off guard again. I decided that in business my best strategy was to have a good defense. I read up on everything and asked questions from more knowledgeable people that could train and help support me. I needed to surpass my peers in every area of my business, and in doing so my sales tripled. A few years later I went back to see this client more prepared than ever and won the entire account!! TOUCHDOWN!!
You may have a good offense of having a better product, but what is really needed is a great defense to block the competition and win the game.
Sharman Dow is the founder of the Empower Women’s Conference.
