Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching
Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
I used to think the saying was just "practice makes perfect" but several things have helped me change that perception. First, I heard Harvey MacKay say several years ago – "what good is it to say practice makes perfect, when you're not doing it right"? Second, the story below brings it all together for me.
A few years back, I had the opportunity to hear NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Joe Montana speak. One of his topics was about a rookie wide receiver named Jerry who had just come out of college and had reported to the San Francisco 49ers training camp.
Joe shared with us that the 49ers offense was practicing formations and signals from their own 20-yard line. The defense was lined up, but this was not a contact drill. After the play ran for a few yards, the players would flip the ball back to the coaches standing on the field and return to the huddle for the next play.
When the ball was thrown to Jerry, he ran 80 yards uncontested down the side line and into the end zone. After a couple of times doing this, his teammates as well as the coaches gave him a hard time about "show-boating" and slowing down the tempo of practice (since they had to wait for him to return to the huddle after each play). The veteran players accused him of being a "hot dog rookie". Jerry said to his teammates and the coaches that he was merely practicing the way he would play in a game. Why should he practice stopping after her caught the ball, when the object was to score a touchdown? Jerry practiced scoring touchdowns every time he caught the ball.
Two things happened as a result of this comment. (1) Every player started running into the end zone during each practice play. (2) The coaches moved the players to the opposite 20-yard line so they could run more plays (having the players run 20 yards instead of 80).
Jerry Rice went on to have a stellar Hall of Fame career, and is thought by many to be one of the best wide receivers of all time.
Let's practice our skills like it matters – all of the time. Every day is game day!
Have a great sales week!