When you walk into the Butler Bulldogs’ locker room, the first thing the basketball players see is a sign that says “We over Me.”
Coach Brad Stevens doesn’t look for the best player . . . he looks for the type of player that he wants on his team. Recruits will now be more likely to pay attention to mail from Butler, but the school will recruit as it always has. Top-ranked prep stars will be attracted to the Bulldogs’ heightened national profile, but if they don’t fit into Stevens’ system of sacrifice, he will not be interested.
“These guys came to Butler for a lot of reasons, but they all understood this is a place where there are certain expectations on and off the court,” says Stevens.
“That obviously starts with the coaches recruiting that type of people,” says departing senior forward Matt Howard. “I haven’t seen a person come in here on a visit that I couldn’t see myself wanting to be around.”
Players know that academics come first. Practices are held at 6:30 a.m., freeing up players to take classes of their choosing. There is a heavy emphasis on character and responsibility and good citizenship. There is no tolerance for talented slackers or problem children in the locker room. Team always takes precedence over player. If you don’t buy in, don’t come to Butler.
Butler knows the type of player they want. But what type of employee fits your company or your sales team the best? The challenge in finding the right salesperson is that we often don’t know what they look like. What type of experience should they have? What values do you expect them to have? What are your educational requirements? Figure out what you are looking for in a salesperson or sales manager and don’t settle until you find a perfect fit.
The added bonus of a strong company identity is that your customers (players) find you. Butler has kids knocking on their door who fit their mold. Companies that have properly identified themselves have customers knocking on their door. Do you think Google struggles finding the type of people they are looking for? They make it clear what type of employee fits their company culture and they have no trouble finding the best and brightest.
Go out today and find the employees that are the best fit for your organization or sales team . . . you will both be glad you did.
Need help identifying your ideal salesperson? Contact me today.
