It’s football season, and like millions of other fans, I tuned-in to the recent Monday night battle between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals. On paper, it appeared to be a “no contest” type of game. The Bears were undefeated and the Cardinals…well, they are the Cardinals and they hardly ever win. Still, there isn’t much else on TV worth watching on Mondays, so I flipped the station to ESPN.

To my surprise, the Cardinals were making a great game of it. In fact, by the end of the third quarter they mysteriously found themselves leading the “Monsters of the Midway” by 20 points. Nobody blows a 20-point lead in the National Football League in the fourth quarter, do they?
When the cameras scanned the Bears’ sideline, one might have expected to see their players looking worried and dejected as the scoreboard painted an ugly picture for Chicago. However, that’s not what I saw. Instead, there was great intensity and enthusiasm being shown on the Bears’ bench. The players were encouraging each other and I could see there was no quit in this team. They still believed they could win.

A few minutes later, the Bears’ defense caused a fumble and it was picked up by a Chicago player and run in for a touchdown. A few minutes later, the Bears’ defense repeated their earlier feat…another fumble and another score. The 20-point lead was down to six points and one look at both benches said it all.

The Bears team was worked into a frenzy. You could see they expected to win this game. Meanwhile, on the Cardinals sideline, despite still holding the lead, the Arizona players appeared disconsolate. Perhaps they were thinking “Here we go again.”

In the final minutes of the game, the Bears took the lead on an 83-yard punt return. Somehow, you could tell it was going to happen even before the play unfolded – destiny seemed to have taken control. However, the Cards weren’t out of it yet. They put together a last second drive down the field, well into the field goal range of their talented placekicker. With the last few seconds on the game clock ticking away, the Cardinals appeared ready to claim victory and send their long-suffering fans home to remember this night as one of the greatest moments in the team’s history.

As the two teams lined up for the kick, I truly believe one was expecting to win and the other was expecting to lose. The field goal attempt took off toward the goalposts and the team that thought they would win got what they expected. And the team that thought they would lose also got what they expected. The football hooked to the left – outside the upright. Final score: Bears 24 – Cardinals 23.

As a salesperson, what’s your expectation when you’re in a tough contest with your competition? Are you expecting to win, regardless of the circumstances and the obstacles to overcome? If you are, you’re like the Bears. Or, are you thinking to yourself, “Here it goes again; something is gonna go wrong, and I’m gonna blow this sale? If you are, then maybe you’re like the Cardinals.

Is there hope for the Arizona team? For you? The answer is “Yes” to both of you; however, it all starts with your expectations – expectations that say you can win and you can be a great success in your sales career.

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