There are some decisions in business and sport that we have to make that can mean we’ll either win lose or draw.
I love Rugby but it can be quite a confusing sport.
If you don’t know much about it and you switch a game on the TV and see loads of people cheering a guy kicking the ball off the pitch like he’s won a gold medal and you might be like what is going on?
I can explain.
In Rugby when the opposition has done something against the rules, you get a penalty and with that, you have some options.
You can take the safe option and kick for the goal. Your kicker puts the ball on a tee on the ground and if he kicks it over the bar and between the posts you get 3 points.
Or you could kick the ball off the pitch right near the try line and you get the throw-in, it’s called a line out.
I did say it was confusing but bear with me.
You get to throw the ball into the line out, if you catch it and drive over the line and get the ball down you get 5 points, and you’ll also get to kick at goal to add 2 more points.
So you have a safe and straightforward option for 3 points or you can back yourself and your team with the more complicated harder option for 7 points.
I remember playing a huge grudge match for my school team back in the day. Right at the end of the school year just before summer.
Gorgeous day, the grass was lush, the sun was out, gentle breeze, a perfect day for rugby. It was after school so a load of classmates were cheering us on.
It’s the last few minutes of the game and we’re 3 points behind and we have a penalty in their half.
We have the choice, go for the easy 3 points and draw the game or kick to touch and go for the win.
Neither option is guaranteed
Both options could fail but one seems easier than the other
Our whole team were arguing about what to do like a pack of dogs and the front row are the angriest bunch of lads you’ll ever meet.
If I were to describe them as a dog they’re the wound-up little pugs.
Short little legs, massive shoulders, squashed little faces.
All this chaos, the crowd shouting. No one could agree.
Finally, our captain did and we opted to take the easy 3 points and draw the game.
I was our second-choice kicker, and our first-choice was off injured so it was down to me to convert the penalty and earn the draw.
I’m going, to be honest, the nerves got to me, as I placed the ball down on the tee I could feel my heart racing.
I lined myself up for this “easy 3 points” and did my run up but as soon as I hit the ball I could tell I sliced it, it went wide and we lost the game.
Now I have to turn around and face the angry dogs and my classmates. It’s one of the most awful feelings I’ve ever had.
The ref who was an ex-player at our local club came up to me at the end and said “you’ve always got to go for 7”.
The easy option is never guaranteed.
You’ve got to go for 7.
Learn that process to make sure the odds are in your favour and go for the win.
You’ve got to go for 7, you’ll never win games if you don’t go for 7.
The next year we practised the process of kicking that ball into touch as close to the try line as possible.
Getting an accurate throw, catch and drive over the line.
Every Sunday at training until we were a well-oiled machine.
The next season we never opted for the 3 points at all in any game, we always went for 7.
We won the league the next year because sometimes always taking the easy option doesn’t mean you’ll win.
Deciding how to get leads for your business is a similar choice, buying leads will feel like a safe option because you can order the volume and get a fixed price.
Without knowing it you’re taking that option to draw or break even or worse the leads are so poor you hit, miss and lose.
Generating leads through your own website may appear more complicated at first but there is a process that works.
I’ve got so good at that process I’m the self-proclaimed Jonny Wilkinson of lead generation for financial advice businesses.
So what are you going to do, take the easy option and buy leads.
Or I can show you how to go for 7 and win at this game we call lead generation?
