The biggest obstacle to practicing is you. If you are a leader, then you have to fight the temptation to assume that since your sales teams have been selling for years they don’t need to practice. The difference between the amateurs and the professionals is not their tenure but their commitment to practice and getting…
Selling obviously involves risk. You’re not guaranteed a certain amount of closed sales, except maybe zero, assuming you do nothing. There are, however, healthy risks and unwise ones. If you have a skill or two that needs some work, the actual sale isn’t the place to practice. If you goof, then, boom, sale lost. Practice…
I hear this question a lot, and the answer is simple: practice makes excellent what you already do well. I’ve never met a sales professional who had reached peak performance. No matter how talented, how skilled, or how gifted with attributes, everyone can improve. Practice is the road you take to improvement, whether you’re just…
Few things irritate me more than hearing managers spout truisms like “sales is a numbers game” or “this is a people business.” Well, duh. Football is a game of yard lines and turf. Saying so doesn’t tell you anything helpful. Pithy words of wisdom can be beneficial, but too much of what you hear about…
Ever wonder why you have weekly sales meetings? If so, then it’s time for a change. Instead of taking time to review what’s happening and not happening–information that can usually be effectively delivered through email–turn your weekly sales meetings into practice sessions. Teach, practice, train! These should be the focus of your meetings. To be…
The Olympic Games feature the best athletes from around the world. They travel to compete from many countries, but they all have one thing in common: they practice, and train, and practice, and train. Their lives are devoted to the development of their skills and attributes, their talents and strengths, their skills and prowess. You…
If you don’t have a passion for the actions needed to achieve success, then you really don’t desire success. At most, you’re just sitting around or wandering around the office, optimistic that success and you will bump into each other accidentally. That doesn’t happen, not even in the movies. You want success, then desire what…
With the Supreme Court scheduled to rule today on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and the court-watchers of the nation biting their nails in anticipation of the ruling, now seems a suitable time to remember that there are variables that can affect your business over which you have no control. Things in the…
Your boss comes into the office and announces that the team will be instituting a new practice program. You think to yourself, I’ve been selling successfully for twenty years. I’m living the dream now. The future is bright! Why does the boss think I of all people need to practice? For the same reason that…
Basketball superstar Larry Bird reminds us of the often forgotten obvious: “the best players will play. That’s the way it will always be.” This is also true of sales professionals. No matter how long you’ve sold, how many successes you’ve earned, or how much money you’ve made, you won’t stay on the top without maintaining…