🦾 When Losing Makes You Unstoppable

Hey Insider, 51 days.

That's how long it took Ohio State to transform their most devastating loss into their greatest victory.

From being booed off their home field to hoisting the national championship trophy.

But this isn't about football. It's about what happens after you lose the deal you were "supposed" to win.

Let me show you what real transformation looks like.

After their crushing loss to Michigan, Ohio State didn't just regroup - they reimagined. "We had to address all the issues we had on the team," said defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. "Everybody spoke up and just fixed those problems that we had."

Sound familiar? It should.

Every great sales organization I've worked with had a defining moment where a major loss forced them to confront uncomfortable truths.

The key? They didn't just feel the pain - they used it.

Take the sales team I worked with last quarter.

They lost a "sure thing" deal to a competitor nobody saw coming.

But instead of making excuses, they did something remarkable.

They opened everything up for examination. Their pitch. Their process. Their assumptions.

Nothing was sacred except the commitment to improve.

The result? They didn't just recover - they revolutionized their approach.

Within 60 days, they closed the largest deal in company history.

Here's what most people miss about major setbacks:

They're not just losses - they're invitations to transform.

Ohio State's coach Ryan Day put it perfectly: "There was a point where there was a lot of people that counted us out, and we just kept swinging and kept fighting."

In sales, that means: When they say you're too expensive, keep swinging.

When they ghost you after the proposal, keep fighting. When the sure thing falls through, keep growing.

But here's the critical part - it's not about blind persistence. It's about intelligent transformation.

Look at how Ohio State responded. They didn't just work harder - they worked differently.

They addressed specific issues.

They changed their approach.

They built new strengths.

The parallel for sales is clear: Don't just bounce back - build back better.

That means:

• Turn lost deal analysis into process improvement

• Transform objections into new value propositions

• Convert criticism into competitive advantage

The most powerful words from Ohio State's victory? "The story gets to get told now."

Think about that.

In the middle of their darkest moment, they were already writing the next chapter.

Not as victims, but as authors of their own redemption.

Your next loss? It's not the end of your story. It's the beginning of a better one.

But only if you:

1. Face the real issues, not just the surface problems

2. Make specific changes, not just general efforts

3. Build new strengths, not just repair old weaknesses

Remember what Day said: "When you sign up for this job, that's what you sign up for. You've got to be strong enough to withstand those storms to come out the back end, and now it's an even better story."

The question isn't whether you'll face setbacks.

It's whether you'll use them as excuses or fuel.

Which story are you writing?

Share your comeback story in our Sales Fit Insider Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/salesfitinsider

Your transformation might be someone else's inspiration.