The runner struggled up the hill past mile marker number 10.  The giant sign had been tagged with a smiley face in the middle of the zero.  The face mocked him and he wanted to put his fist right through it.  There was no time for that and certainly he didn't have the energy regardless. 

While pain had joined him miles ago, he ignored his only companion as he had during the six months he had trained for this half-marathon.  The body, he reasoned, wasn't really meant to do this so the pain was normal and expected.  His focus was only on what he was accomplishing:

"Ten miles is almost eleven and eleven is too close to thirteen to quit", he thought.

Twelve minutes later a massive "11" appeared on a not too distant utility pole.

"Eleven is almost twelve and twelve is too close to thirteen to quit".

At this point, he was a runner in name only.  One couldn't even really describe what he was doing as "jogging".  "Trudging" seemed a more appropriate description.

But, he did not stop and twelve minutes later a super-sized "12" greeted him around a bend near some volunteers serving water in paper cups.  He took a cup from an eager young girl who was yelling at him.  Oddly, he could hear the sound but the words didn't really make sense.  The water rolled off his head and down his back and the cup was empty as he lifted it to his lips. 

"That was weird", he thought.  Soon he was alone again.  The amount of time since he had seen the "11" seemed too long. 

"I wonder when I'll get to twelve", he puzzled.

He started to count his steps - figuring that he could always do another 100 strides.  The horizon never seemed to get any closer so he just looked at his feet.  When his count reached five hundred he looked up to make sure he was still on the course.  At fifteen hundred he looked up and saw a "13" in the near distance.

"Thirteen.  Thirteen?  That's almost the whole distance.  A half-marathon is 13.1 miles."

Unbelievably, the finish was just a couple hundred yards past that big number.  The runner started to notice the crowd gathering along the side of the road.  He started to hear the yells of encouragement.

"Keep going 254!" 

"You can do it!" 

"Almost there!"

His stride started to lengthen.  The finish came into view.  His pace quickened and any observer would say as he crossed the line that he was a runner.
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In my most recent post, I described the challenges associated with selling a product that has no deadline.  Another challenge some sellers face is the lack of a finish line.

Many professions feature projects that begin, progress and end.  Architecture and construction are classic examples where one designs, builds and completes projects.  Staying motivated seems relatively easy.  The motivation is to finish the project.  Political candidates are given a specific term in order to introduce and pass an agenda.  They hit the ground running and never let up because they know the end gets more near every day.

In media sales and many other types of intangible selling, the lack of a finish line causes sellers to drift along at half the speed of which they are capable.  There can not be any extended sprinting because one will tire and falter.  We aren't committed for a specific term and the only thing we're building is a career.  Sellers are not able to attack each day or week or month with the same passion and vigor as they might otherwise do if they were moving along a specific time line.

Just as its appropriate to create deadlines for prospects and clients where natural deadlines may not exist, it is also appropriate and effective to create finish lines for sellers.  After all, we want sellers to run as hard as they can for as long as they can but they will only be able to do this if they know when there'll be an opportunity for rest.  Without knowledge of when the break will come, sellers are reluctant to commit 100% of their energy.

For an organization to achieve its maximum, the choice of a finish line must not be left to the individual seller as they will choose according to their own motivation.  The result will be an underwhelming team effort as sellers reach their varying finish lines today, tomorrow and next week.  Instead, the entire sales organization must be aware of a single finish line so that all members can be running together and encouraging each other and motivating each other and challenging each other to finish strong.

For media sellers, the finish line is Friday, December 18, 2009.  There will be time to rest after that.  But, until then you must be running.
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