Practice makes perfect, is a familiar one. Creative types seem to know this intuitively and are driven to practice their art during each free moment. Professional athletes seem to have the same understanding. Next time you watch a 30-second Olympic event, think about the countless hours of practice that led to that moment. These methods are proven to work, but in many cases, business professionals don't seem to follow them. Companies typically invest a lot of time and money into new employees to make sure that they are trained on company policies and practices, but after that, most employees get nothing more than an annual training program rather than the daily practice that gets proven results.
Last month, the You're the Boss blog in The New York Times tackled this topic in a post called "If Practice Makes Perfect, Why Don't Companies Practice More?" The author of the post discusses Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, which states that in order to become proficient in his or her field, a person needs at least 10,000 hours of practice. Given that, why do so many business owners meet clients or put employees in front of them without providing the opportunity for practice?
In sales, practice is essential.
Study your products.
Understand your services.
Take turns describing them in your own words with colleagues.
Write cold-calling scripts and carry on practice phone conversations with office mates.
Ask your partner to come up with objections until you become adept at getting around them.
Make this a weekly, if not daily, habit, and you'll see your confidence improve as you become more and more successful in your field. If you have any questions about best practices in sales, contact Closing Time.
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