I was fortunate to be at the England v Wales rugby game on the weekend with DellEMC. 

Observing and hearing Matt Symons (Wasps second row) at half time, two specific approaches to England's game really resonated with how an effective sales and marketing team operate:

1. KPIs and analysis 

The team are consistently tracked during games which provides Jones' coaching team with a wealth of statistics to help determine which 23 to pick on game day. Importantly the team know that hitting specific metrics will result in a win. 

This directly correlates to successful business, as Aberdeen Research have found best in class leverage KPIs across all areas. 

When selling a product or service, particularly if the plan is to sell more at a later date, KPIs should also be set to help determine success so an expansion becomes a default decision for your client. 

2. Leverage the entire team

I heard a great interview with Eddie Jones where he explained that he does not see his bench as substitutes but part of a 23 man team or 'finishers'. 

Reading Adam Elgar's post about the importance of leveraging a team in sales really hit home that executing a sale with your team is very similar to leveraging the entire 23 man rugby team. 

Using your 'finishers' on a deal might be the equivalent of a senior executive or technical expert. Salesforce a great example of this through their executive engagement program. 

This can also be reflected in your content marketing. Content produced and distributed by various experts helps build trust with the client as they see that you have the entire team required to execute the proposed engagement.