Do You Practice?

MitchM

This is taken from an interview with George Leonard, practitioner of aikido for over thirty years beginning at the age of 47:

"Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in history, was known for being cool and effective under pressure. He had just made an amazing recovery in his game to win one of the several US Opens that he won in his life. A reporter came up to him and asked, "Mr. Hogan, how is it that you can keep making these spectacular shots under such great, great pressure?" He was a man of very few words, so he scratched his head and said, "Well... I guess I'm just lucky."

And then the reporter then asked him, "But, Mr. Hogan, everybody knows that you practice more than anyone else in the game of golf!" He scratched his head again and said, "Well... The more I practice, the luckier I get."

So that to me is the mark of the master. Almost always those who are at the top of their field are the ones who love to practice. For example, Larry Bird. He couldn't run as fast as many others. He couldn't jump as high. But he was certainly one of the great basketball players of all time. He just loved to practice. He once made the statement, "I wish the season would be over so I can get back to some serious practice." -- George Leonard

What does it mean for you "to practice" in sales?

MitchM

Gold Calling

Repetition increases retention.

Only that which is retained can be applied.

__________________

Hunger for Profit System©
want to make more commissions or more profit,
then you need to stop wasting time now!
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Jim Klein

Practice means to go over and over every step of the sales process until you have master the entire process. Practice means to spend time while your not in front of prospects going over what you are going to say. How you will respond to objections and every imaginable sales situation until it all becomes second nature.

Practice until you don't have to think about what you are going to say next, it will just flow from your tongue. Once you have mastered the sales process, then you can listen intently to what the prospect is saying. You can see their body language and read between the lines.

Then and only then you will truly become a master of sales. Then you can right your own ticket like the true masters of any craft.

__________________
Jim Klein - The "Sales Advisor" Helping salespeople achieve mastery, come "from the heart" and positively impact lives with perfect solutions.
http://www.fromtheheartsalestraining.com

Gold Calling

Here, here Jim.

One addition if you don't mind. Mastery requires review. Once you have attained the mastery realize that if you stop reinforcing it by review much will be lost over time.

Just like lifesaving, you need to review even the basics every three years, more advanced stuff more frequently, especially that which is not used often.

Skip Anderson

My belief is that selling is a skill.

Improving any skill (golf, brain surgery, speaking, wood carving, selling) requires learning (first) and practice (second).

__________________
Skip Anderson
Selling To Consumers | Sales Training to Sell More™
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Gold Calling

Certain learning cannot take place until after a minimum amount of experience, wouldn't you say so Skip?

When I was becoming a professional pool player, there were elements of my development that required experience to get.

This is one of the main reasons why training must go on, that practice is not enough. Review of skills training is critical too and, purely from a learning standpoint (forget about what you are learning), is critical at maintaining the optimum performance.

I am so convinced that this is the case, in fact, that I have developed a whole training tool around it.

Skip Anderson

What learning are you referring to?

Gold Calling

Well, look, suppose we talk about closing. what can we teach a newbie abut the finer art of closing a sale? Not as much as someone with 5 years selling expereince.

The basics is about all we can teach, no?

Skip Anderson

I agree that experience can be a fine foundation for learning.

MitchM

"Practice means to go over and over every step of the sales process until you have master the entire process. Practice means to spend time while your not in front of prospects going over what you are going to say" -- Jim

That's true of everything isn't it, Jim. You mention learning how to listen - clarity in listening and asking questions is one of the most important skills in everything, also. You continually hear/read people responding to their own agenda rather than what's being said - we all get side tracked sometimes - but being empty in anticipation of what to say next so that what's being said to you is unmistaken is one of the greatest skills to develop.

Practicing good sales skills in every life situation makes it a fully integrated activity and one that pays off in so many ways.

The best to you.

MitchM