There was 2:09 left on the clock when the improbable became inevitable. When Vince became invincible.

Starting at their own 44, Vince Young scripted the final chapter of his and the Longhorns’ storybook finish, engineering a comeback against an opponent riding a 34-game winning streak (and a 12-point fourth-quarter lead). The epic matchup between #1 and #2, USC and Texas; the extraordinary ambiance that only the Rose Bowl provides; The game had all the makings of an instant classic, and lives today in College Football lore for its litany of magical moments — namely the final Two-Minute Drill orchestrated by Texas for the win.

In hindsight, judging Vince’s heroic efforts that night, few should be surprised by the results. In fact, just before taking the field with 2:09 left, Vince told a teammate: “Watch this. I’m going to go win the championship for us.”

Clay Mills, a USC fanatic who remembers the game like it was yesterday, leaves no ambiguity to what he saw unfold on the gridiron on the evening of Jan. 4, 2006.

“What I witnessed that night was an unstoppable desire to win. And that was Vince Young. He beat USC singlehandedly in my opinion. That guy, and his desire to win, it was unbelievable,” Mills recalls.

In other words, Vince Young was invincible.

For our sales teams, there’s no time on the clock for new strategies or even in-game adjustments. As we reach the waning moments of our 2021 season, clock management and optimal effectiveness are critical. With only about 8 % of our season remaining, the question becomes: What plays can you execute to guarantee victory on the field? What does your Two-Minute Drill really look like?

4 Key Plays for Your Two-Minute Drill in Sales.

Be Vigilant.

The number one thing you can be doing right now is investigating your pipeline and contacting every prospect you have proposed in 2021 who has not yet purchased.

“Share with them that we’ve had one price increase and another coming in January, so there’s no better time than now to make the move,” Clay says.

Be Grateful.

The holiday season can be full of distractions and contacts can be harder to reach. Embrace the challenge — but also embrace the season. Stop to say “thank you.”

Sending out a holiday greeting card (handwritten with a real stamp on it), with a warm felt “Thank you,” along with asking if they know of anyone else who could benefit from yourself or Datamax, isn’t just a nice sentiment. It’s a strategic fourth-quarter move.

“How do you feel when you get a hand-written letter delivered to your house? When you have the attitude of gratitude, people appreciate that they’re not just a number,” Clay says.

Be Proactive.

Now is the time to laying out your plan for 2022.

“Put a serious effort into research and constructing the best business plan you can for yourself for next year. Be honest with yourself, chart what your obstacles are, and make plans for how you can overcome them,” Clay says.

Be Invincible.

One can easily point to Vince and his Rose Bowl heroics. But understand that champions overcome even seemingly insurmountable challenges.

“I always love to say don’t discount the people you work with. What I mean by that is that everyone has challenges in everything they do. The champions are the ones who let nothing come between them and success. If you’re going to succeed in this business, you have to have the attitude that nothing is going to stop you.”

Even when there’s only 2:09 left on the clock.