Yesterday the Seattle Seahawks gave up 5 turnovers including 4 interceptions, yet still managed to win the game - in overtime! Here are a couple of lessons from the NFL games yesterday.

Unless the game plan isn't working, stick to it the whole game. The Packers (supposedly) had a winning game plan that they gave up in the 4th quarter when they thought they had the game in the bag. Instead of continuing the winning strategy, they switched to playing like there was only a minute left in the game (when there was a whole quarter left to play.)

For many companies, they switch game plans all the time. Not only do you need to figure what you want to be and who you want to target (and if they will buy from you), you need to give it time to work. The Seahawks - despite 4 INTs - still kept the same offensive assault going all game.

To be clear, I am not a huge NFL fan. This year started too ugly with too many felonies from players -- and then to find out that so many of them have committed so many crimes. It alost if the National Felon League. But in America, NFL is the top sports entertainment and Americans like their sports metaphors.

Seattle kept fighting - even though they turned the ball over 5 times and didn't score at all in the first half. Success is 90% showing up prepared. It is also about persistence. Keep going even when knocked down. In sales, the average salesperson only makes 2 attempts to reach a prospect.

The "fans" that left early: Gave up early - and missed a great comeback. Good thing your team stayed in the game and didn't give up. Jim Rohn once said, "What a great skill - beating the traffic home."

The Patriots crushed the Colts 45-7. I am far from a Pats fan. I don't like their coach, but he kept them on fire all the way through four quarters. The Pats scored 21 points in the third quarter - that's pouring it on even with a ten point lead.

Many companies ask me about RingCentral. One thing RC is good at is PR. They have a marketing budget, a plan, a team. They execute on that plan to the point that even people in the industry think they are crushing it. Perception is reality, right? Fake it till you make it.

Now I ask: Do you have a game plan? Do you have a good coach? Do all the players on your team buy into the game play? Can they execute on it consistently and persistently - with tweaks and failures not getting them down? That's the magic formula for success:

Plan + Coaching + Persistence + Execution + Failure = Success

For the New Orleans Saints who won the Super Bowl on 2/7/2010 beating the Colts 31-17, it took 43 years! In the 2009 season, it required 514,000 hours of labor by the entire Saints staff (players, coaches, and back-office employees) to win that Super Bowl. The Saints had a 13-3 record that season.