EP 007: From Football Fields to Fractional Sales Leadership: Lessons in Building Scalable Sales Systems
How former NFL hopeful Evan Triggs transformed his athletic mindset into a blueprint for sales success and fractional leadership.
Introduction
What does it take to transition from elite athlete to sales leader? And how do you scale a company from 20 employees to nearly 100 while maintaining 25-45% year-over-year growth?
In a recent episode of the Sales Spark Podcast, fractional sales leader Evan Triggs shared his journey from defensive tackle to sales executive, revealing the mindset shifts and strategic frameworks that separate good salespeople from great ones.
The Athletic Foundation: Why Sports Create Sales Leaders
Triggs didn't set out to be in sales. Like many former athletes, he was recruited into the field because of three key traits that translate directly from sports to sales:
1. Relentless Learning Mindset
"I was always one to learn and I could take no for an answer, but also I could take coaching and I just never gave up," Triggs explains. This coachability separates elite performers from those who plateau.
2. Competitive Drive
The dopamine rush of competition that drives athletes also fuels sales success. "That dopamine of the game keeps me in it. I want to close a deal," says Triggs.
3. Work Ethic
Elite athletes understand that talent alone isn't enough. "I was not afraid to work hard. I was a worker," Triggs emphasizes.
The Power of Relationships in Sales
One of the most significant insights from Triggs' career is how relationships became the foundation of his success. When he transitioned from Angie's List to FleetWatcher, he didn't start from scratch—he leveraged his network.
"I always made sure that when I shared with my team that I will not always work for Angie's List," Triggs recalls. "On your way up, make sure you're nice to the people on your way up because you may need them on the way down."
Building Teams Through Trust
This relationship-first approach allowed Triggs to build high-performing teams quickly. "People joined our organization because they were up for the challenge. They knew I was a good coach and they knew we had a good product."
Scaling Sales: From Startup to Market Leader
At FleetWatcher, Triggs witnessed firsthand what it takes to scale a sales organization from founder-led to systematic:
The Playbook Principle
"Everything we did was scalable. So we could just turn it up and still have all of our levels function," Triggs explains. The key was creating systems that could operate without constant founder intervention.
Customer-First Philosophy
"We led with our customer. We were a customer-driven business. It wasn't about you. It wasn't about our system, our product. It was about the people that use our product."
The Fractional Sales Leadership Model
Today, Triggs operates as a fractional sales leader, helping founder-led companies build scalable sales systems. His approach focuses on three key areas:
1. Developing a Scalable Playbook
"It's very difficult sometimes for the founder to make a play that everybody can run. You got special skills. You got special experience. Nobody can say it like you."
2. Implementing Customer-First Processes
"Your customer-first process with sales has to exist with discovering the need and then all the way down to servicing the customer."
3. Planning for Succession
"The most interesting thing about my job as fractional is I'm only gonna be with you for a certain amount of time. We work to get ourselves out of a job."
Goal Setting: The Foundation of Success
When asked for his single most important piece of advice, Triggs emphasized goal setting: "Be a goal setter and work your ass off to achieve your goals. Work backwards from your goal."
His framework includes:
Writing down specific goals
Listing potential obstacles
Identifying people who can help
Taking immediate action
"You don't need to be talented. You don't even need to be good. You don't even need to be motivated. The minute you write something down and make a phone call... it don't take much, but you got to do something."
Key Takeaways for Sales Leaders
Embrace Coachability: The best salespeople never stop learning and actively seek feedback.
Invest in Relationships: Your network is your career insurance policy. Always leave on good terms.
Build Scalable Systems: Create processes that can function without your constant involvement.
Focus on Customers: Make everything about solving customer problems, not showcasing your product.
Set Clear Goals: Write them down, identify obstacles and helpers, then take action.
Conclusion
Evan Triggs' journey from football field to fractional sales leadership demonstrates that success in sales isn't about natural talent—it's about mindset, relationships, and systematic approaches to growth. Whether you're a founder struggling with sales leadership or a salesperson looking to level up, the principles of coachability, relationship building, and goal setting remain constant.
As Triggs puts it: "Hoping and wishing is not a strategy." The time for action is now.
Want to connect with Jason Barnaby about fractional sales leadership for your business? Visit firestartersinc.net to schedule a discovery call.