I’ve decided to write ten consecutive posts during ten consecutive business days, each that will offer an idea that salespeople can implement during this weird time.
Idea #9: Spend three hours per week practicing your craft … and then make it a habit.
I was interviewed for a podcast a few months ago by my friend, Armando Perez, owner of Hoosier Security. The topic was sales management and he prepared me for every question except that last one:
“Chris, in one word, what advice could you give to all the sales managers listening to this?”
One word? If I could work with 300 words, I’d easily answer this question. But one? He stumped me for about seven seconds. Then it hit me. The one thing that we don’t do anymore. The one thing that I haven’t seen sales teams consistently do since 1996. The one thing that will separate the good from the amazing. What’s the word? …
Practice.
Sales is a career that requires excellent performance. Salespeople are measured constantly. They’re compensated for and promoted or fired because of their performance. But they don’t practice. Athletes practice, actors practice, pilots practice, and all other professions that require constant performance practice. Salespeople don’t practice. Why? There are a million reasons but the one I always hear is time, or the lack of it. Guess what? You’ve got some flexibility now. You may still be busy, but your calendar is also probably more flexible. So … let’s practice.
Check out www.vectorfirmacademy.com for a virtual sales training program. Yes, that sentence is a commercial, but the point of the rest of this post is that you need to practice, and you’ve got some time now. So, practice three hours per week and make it a habit to do at least one per week after this mess is behind us.
I’ve saved #10 for our grand finale, so tune in tomorrow for our final idea in this series.
