“We talking about practice, man?” Who doesn’t love Allen Iverson? Unfortunately, in both sports and in business, practice is most certainly nothing to downplay. An old cliché in sports is, “you play how you practice”. In other words, give a crap effort in practice, more often than not, that same effort will be reflected on gameday. Practice makes perfect. So why are so many salespeople so quick to brush off practice? The following is how to practice sales skills in your day to day sales job.
Role Playing
In the sales world, role-playing is the equivalent of running a scrimmage. Deep down you know it doesn’t really count, but it is an opportunity to try new things and see what works and what doesn’t. You can easily grab a colleague or a partner, and run through some typical scenarios you run into every day. It might be role playing a cold call, your pitch, or the close. Having a hard time finding someone to roleplay with at work? No problem. Start with recording yourself. I remember the first time I listened to some of my recorded cold calls and demos (trust me, not pretty). Sometimes you don’t realize how you sound or how your pitch really goes until you hear it for yourself. Yes, sometimes we can be our own worst critic, but hey, who cares? If you don’t like how something sounds, you can fix it before your next appointment. Want to really get out of your comfort zone? Send the recording to someone else and ask what they think. As far as other reps in the office not wanting to roleplay with you, no sweat. Keep making “practice” part of your daily routine, and soon enough, they will be the ones asking YOU for help. 😊
Read More
The average CEO reads 60 books a year. 60 BOOKS A YEAR!! There are so many ways to “read” nowadays that there really isn’t an excuse for not reading and more importantly, reading something of value. Now, I don’t mean mindlessly scrolling through Facebook and reading status updates, or reading the latest update on the Kardashian family (although it is smart to stay up on current trends and pop culture), but I mean reading something that will make you a better sales professional and better person. This could be motivation, best practices, or even autobiographies from others you look up to. This doesn’t have to come in the form of a traditional book either. Nowadays we can get great value from audiobooks, podcasts, LinkedIn articles, etc.. I especially like audiobooks and podcasts because they are mobile. You can kill two birds with one stone by getting your morning workout in and listening to a chapter or two on the treadmill, or throw on a podcast on the way to work. I would recommend the Rise Up Sales Podcast, which you can find the link to in my bio. 😊
Find a Mentor
Sometimes the best way to make ourselves better is by working with someone else who is ALREADY better. Or at least, someone who has more experience than you. I am a big believer in the idea that the best way to get where you want to go, is to find someone who is there and follow their path. One of my favorite parts about sports is watching when one star player “passes the torch” to another. Relationships like David Robinson and Tim Duncan, Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady, Bill Parcells, and Bill Bellicheck… the list goes on. Point is, the majority of people don’t get to their goals without a little help. A lot of new sales reps will partake in some sort of “corporate training” during their initial onboarding process, which is great, but what are you doing after that to make sure you are continuing to develop? Imagine if all rookie players stopped improving after the rookie symposium? Or practice ended after running through the play just once? Personal development is 100% on the individual. If it isn’t something you see value in, or something you don’t make part of your day to day routine, then how can you expect to reach higher goals? Here’s a challenge. Try to grab lunch with a new colleague once a week. I think you’ll be surprised at how much value you will walk away with, maybe they will even grab the bill. On the flip side, don’t be so quick to brush off the newer reps in the office coming to you for guidance. Trust me, they may be new, but that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t something they know that you don’t. One of the best parts of working in sales is meeting other people who work in sales. Not many professions can relate. In fact, drop me in a bar or restaurant around 5:30 pm on a Friday, and I am pretty confident I can point out the salespeople in the room. Find someone you can go to for help, talk you through a loss, as well as help you celebrate a win.
If you are struggling with self-improvement, I hope this article helps point you in the right direction. Sometimes we are so quick to brush off all of the resources we have at our fingertips every day. This weekend, pick up a new book, discover a new podcast, and grab a partner to help role play before a big selling and prospecting day. Put yourself in the right mindset, and the rest will fall into place. And remember, when it comes to practice, don’t just talk about practice, make it happen. Ironically enough, sometimes practice is “The Answer” we are looking for when it comes to the age-old question in sales, “How the heck am I ever going to get good at this?”
