Chasing Down the Big Spenders
Posted by Matthew Aaron on June 18, 2009
A few years ago, when I met my British girlfriend, she turned me on to the biggest sport outside of North America — soccer (or football, if you don’t happen to live on my end of the Atlantic). And so, along with most of the rest of the world, I watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the Spanish super club Real Madrid forked out nearly $250 million for the services of two top players.
Now, that’s a staggering amount of money in any language or currency. But it’s all the more so if you consider the current state of the economy around the world, and in Spain in particular. It seems implausible that any company, especially soccer team, would have that kind of cash to throw around. So what gives?
It all comes down to timing and perception. Real Madrid, traditionally a leader in their “industry,” which in this case happens to be a soccer league, needed to change their long-term outlook and saw an opportunity. So, sensing an opening, they got creative with their financing and decided to make a move.
The point I want to make today is this: a Spanish team may have grabbed front-page sports headlines, but what they’re doing isn’t all that unique. In every corner of the globe, and in just about every industry, there are people out there taking chances and forging ahead with their businesses. While lots of people and organizations are stuck in the recession mindset, there some that aren’t fazed. Your success as a salesperson is dependent on your ability to tune out a lot of what you’re hearing around you, and then go find prospects and customers who are doing the same.
When this recession ends, it’s going to be people who took the initiative that are going to come out ahead on the other side. I’m not saying that every gamble is going to work out and that every company should just go out spending like there’s no tomorrow; only that it’s up to you to find those people and groups that are still looking for a way forward and help them find the path.
