Cold Calls and Putting - Nail 'em both

Read time: 4min

I want to get better at “golf”. I want to get better at “sales”.

I also want to be a billionaire! Cool. But what are the steps to get there?

Try this “one step” method, courtesy of sales superstar and friend Cory Bray. Its how you improve in golf. And its how you improve in sales.

So lets start with sales. Let’s say we’re going outbound. The first part of sales is getting a “meeting”. Can’t sell to someone if you can’t meet with them.

There’s booking via inbound (they come to you). And there’s outbound - cold call, cold email, LI message, etc. For this purpose, I’m focusing on cold calls. I believe cold calling is the best (and quickest) way to book meetings.

So here’s what I practice. A script. A simple way to make a call, have a good way of actually breaking through to the person, and seeing if they are interested in what I do. It follows the master himself, Townsend Wardlaw.

Here’s a link to Townsend explaining his script (Gold starts at around the 4:45 min mark): Youtube Vid Link.

The video details the scripts in detail, but my main point is this. Practice this. Over and over again. Don’t be a robot, but be comfortable enough to have a solid conversation. Mastering this “one step” can unlock future success and allow you to move onto the next “one step.” Also, I cannot overstate this enough. But our goal is to make a connection with someone, and help them solve a problem. And a good cold call is a way to help people.

Okay though…..But how does this apply to golf?

Well, most strokes in golf happen around the green (chipping and putting). Putting is usually the main culprit, so lets start there.

Why do people struggle with putting, even if they “practice” putting? Simple. They trying to get better at “putting”, by practicing it all. Which means they won’t improve.

Here’s what practicing putting normally looks like: Throw down 2 balls. Hit a few short putts. Move around the putting green. Hit a few longish putts (15-25 footers). Then walk around. Maybe hit a few long putts for feel (lag putts 30 feet+). Rinse and repeat.

But, where the repeatability? Where’s the consistency? Where’s the improvement?

Hence, just like in sales, its one step at a time.

Try this putting method next time you’re practicing: 2 golf balls. Find an area 5 feet away. Hit putts. Make both putts in a row (min 4 attempts). Once you do that, move to your left, find a spot 5 feet away, and repeat. The goal is to surround the whole in a circle, putting at different angles, making your putts. Building confidence as you dial in.

Once you nail down your 5 footers, you can expand to 10 feet. Etc. Etc. But overall, this method will give you confidence that you’re building up your skills, one step at a time. Plus, making 5 footers to beat your buddies is cool.