Real gamblers don’t rely on Lady Luck, they study the game, know the odds and play the percentages. Good sales people don’t rely on luck, either. Being in the “right place at the right time” is not a matter of luck, but rather it is about preparedness. Soccer great, Pelé reportedly responded to an interviewer’s query about his soccer and business successes, by saying, “Success is simply the meeting of preparation and opportunity.” In short, a properly prepared (training, product knowledge, market understanding) salesman will recognize an opportunity when it is presented and be equipped to make the right moves to assure a successful conclusion to a business deal; make the sale and create a customer.

 

The late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, said “It seems the harder I work, the luckier I get.” There are many people who work hard, very hard, but never seem to really reach the pinnacle of success. Why? Probably because a lot of their efforts are headed in the wrong direction or they were not well organized. There does seem to be a direct relationship between hard work and luck. Luck was not the reason for the success of most of the well-known brand names today. Certainly being in the right-place-at-the-right-time played some part of their successes, but wasn’t that part of the preparation phase?

 

Some product successes that are attributed to luck, rather than planning, preparation and hard work:

 Are all of these successes luck or the product of hard work . . . or are they, as Pelé said, simply the convergence of preparation and opportunity. They are also the product of taking risks, being innovative and reading the market appropriately. This will trump luck any day in the week.