Last night, as the New England Patriots beat down the New York Jets I was reminded of something so often forgotten in sales — patience matters.

In sales we often push too hard.  As sales leaders we demand things now.  In pursuit of quota and revenue, we rarely show patience for the sale.   This lack of patience has a cost we often fail to see until it’s too late — just ask Randy Moss.

Two months ago Randy Moss was playing for the New England Patriots.  Focused on his contract rather than doing his job, he was constantly chirping about how unhappy he was and how he wanted a trade.   Well he got what he wanted, he was traded.   Randy is now dying on the vine on a rapidly declining Tennessee Titans team, with no hope of ever getting the one thing that his brilliant on-field career is lacking; a Super Bowl Ring.

It may be a bit presumptuous to say the Patriots are going to win an other Super Bowl, but after last night’s performance they are clearly well positioned to be in contention.   Randy Moss is going to make the Hall of Fame.   There is no question about that, but it appears what he is NEVER going to get is a ring and it will be his own fault.  He’s just doesn’t have the patience.  In the waning days of his career, Randy should have traded his mouth and petulance for humility and patience and he’d be well positioned to get the only thing that matters now — a championship.

Aggression, drive, hunger, and passion are all traits associated with selling.  We prize the person who can “make” things happen.  We celebrate the wins that seem crafted and orchestrated by the aggressive purpose driven sales team, but there are times where patience wins out,  where not forcing the issue is the best course of action, where allowing the environment to unfold on it’s own proves to be the best choice.   Despite our want to control things, in spite of the expectations that we “make” our own luck, pushing and forcing the issue only hurts us, moving us further from the sale and achieving our goals.

Accomplishing our goals takes drive, commitment, and deliberate action, but it also takes patience.  When patience is prescribed, forcing it will only break things.   Sometimes, it just takes patience — ask Randy.