So, where are your sales team’s mindsets? Are they approaching their revenue generation like driving a go-kart or maneuvering a Formula One race car? Even more specific, do they think they are performing like a Formula One driver while still operating like a go-kart driver?
Don’t take this the wrong way, but both the go-kart and Formula One drivers are involved in a very intense and exhilarating sports event. If you have ever had the opportunity to ride in a performance go-kart, it is nothing to take lightly. They go pretty fast, and if you don’t pay attention, things can get a bit more exciting with a spinout or minor bumping incident with the other drivers. Based on our reader audience, it is not likely that you, as a business owner, have taken a Formula One car out to the track. Although not having driven a Formula One vehicle, some of our clients have participated in the experience of racing at 150+ MPH in club racing or performance driving school. The outcome can be significantly more dramatic when a spinout happens at that speed.
What does high-speed track driving have to do with the sales mindset?
From a comparative point of view, driving a go-kart and a Formula One vehicle is pretty much the same: four tires, an engine, a steering wheel, and a driver. Both are open-wheel and move around the track and corners at significant speed. In fact, a substantial number of professional race car drivers got their start racing go-karts. Many of the skills learned are transferable to the higher-level application of those skills in many automotive racing series. The key here is that the driver’s mindset also needs to level up when they use the fundamental skills from the entry level to participate and place at the higher levels of competition. This is where the relationship exists between auto racing and product or service sales.
As the business owner, you are likely one of the best salespeople in the organization. Your passion and commitment to success, as well as paying the bills, drive you to excel in revenue generation. You might not have the most refined sales skill set, but you leverage everything you have to garner sales. Your sales team, on the other hand, is tasked with producing revenue. Revenue is the lifeblood of the organization. Without sales, the other business components’ needs dry up very fast. As this is their primary and, to a degree, only role in the business, their skills must be aligned with the task’s objectives. Most people in a sales role can quickly tell another how or a process to sell. The difference in skill is shown in actual performance. This is exactly the same when comparing go-kart drivers and Formula One drivers. Only after significantly demonstrating skill and the proper mindset do you get a seat in the F1 vehicle.
This week, as we near the end of April and four months into the calendar year, evaluate your salespeople. What skills do they have, and which might need development or improvement? Evaluate their mindset as well. They might have all the skills of a Formula One salesperson but the mindset of a go-kart driver. The skill is there, but they can drive in the fast lane of sales success at the next level because they need a bigger mindset. The sales process is generally the same at various levels in the marketplace. The difference is that those who excel in sales improve their mindset.
With 8 months left to achieve your revenue goals, do your salespeople need an upgrade? If they spun out in the first part of the year, it does not mean they cannot recover and contribute to the annual revenue objectives. Get them into the pit lane, get a new set of tires and a full tank of gas on board, and put them back out on the track. If it looks like they either can’t grow or choose not to grow to the next level mindset, send them back to the go-karts for more development. There are plenty of solid salespeople in the marketplace just wanting to take the drive.
Do you need a Promise Guide to level up your sales talent mindset? Call JKL Associates at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246.
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