Hello, everybody. Mickey Griffith here with The Referral Institute and what I’d like to talk with you about today is basketball and golf. That’s right, basketball and golf. So let’s start off with the differences. What is the difference between basketball and golf, or some of the differences? Number one, different tools, right? They both use a ball, but they’re a different kinda ball, you have golf clubs and basketball hoops and net, and that kind of thing. And so, they’re very different in that regard. They also require a different skill set. Very different thing to hit a golf ball than it is to play basketball, just ask Charles Barkley. My understanding is, he’s got a horrible golf shot, but he was a master on the court for just taking the ball to the hoop, right? So different skills set and different tools.
The biggest difference between the two of ’em, though, I think, is that they are a team sport versus an individual sport. With golf, you’re out there on your own, you’re striking the ball where it lands, you play it and it’s just about you. With basketball, we’re all trying to score but we’re doing it as a team. So we all have to be putting forth the effort and we all have to do our job if we’re going to end up in the right place and make a nice, easy shot for us to score points. So, it is definitely a team sport versus an individual sport.
So, let’s talk about some of the things that are the same about them. If I want to be good at either one of them, I’ve got to train. I’ve got to learn how to play the game better and I’ve got to continue to learn how to play the game ’cause the game is constantly evolving. If you talk to Will Chamberlain, his teammates back when he was winning was very different than what Michael Jordan was playing with. And the skill level just continues to go up, so they have to constantly train for improvement. The other thing that’s the same is you have to score to win. You can’t just be in the game and play the game just for participation. Participation ribbons might work with little kids, but it doesn’t work on the pro level. So we have to be scoring in order to win. Finally, the thing that is similar for both of them even at the highest level if they want to be really competitive, they all have coaches. Tiger Woods, one of the best golfers for years, and years, and years had a coach, had a couple of coaches. Michael Jordan definitely had coaches his whole life. Even as great as they were, they had a coach to help keep them on track and keep them focused. So very similar between both of the sports.
So, why am I talking about basketball and golf? Basketball is very much a referral marketing type of process and golf is very much a sales type of process. You’re really on your own out there in sales. It requires your skill. You’ve gotta be after it and you’ve gotta be the one making all of the shots. With basketball, if you coordinate properly with your team and you’re able to play it properly, you can get nice, easy layups, shots that just go right in because you’re standing right underneath the hoop when it’s time to take the shot.
It’s definitely a team sport. And here’s the trick, though. The rest of your teammates have to be really good, too. It can’t just be one dynamic person who does all of the work, because if you go up against another really good team, you’re going to lose. Your entire team needs to know the plan. Everyone’s got to be playing the same game and making the same kind of moves, passing the ball where we all know the ball is going. That kind of coordinated effort doesn’t happen overnight, it takes education and it takes repetition.
So the question really is, if you’re going to be in referral marketing and you’re getting really good at it, what about the rest of your team? Your team has to play on the level that you want to play on. If they’re not, maybe they’re playing a different sport. So go out there and find a way to get your team to play on the same level you are. Take ’em to a networking function. Take ’em to a seminar where you can both learn the same material, all of you can learn the same materials so you’re working in the same function. That will make those lay-ups a whole lot easier. Go out there and play some basketball. I’m Mickey Griffith with the Referral Institute.