Listen "STOP Practicing on Customers: What Sales Leaders MUST Learn From Pro Sports Training"
Episode Synopsis
Stop letting your salespeople practice on customers and wondering why they fail under pressure. This episode explains how to adopt the pro sports model of repetitive practice and coaching to build skills that stick. Why do three out of four salespeople fail to meet their revenue targets? The problem isn't the salespeople; it's the training model. We let our teams "practice on customers", a strategy that would get any professional sports coach fired. This episode explores what sales leaders must learn from the high-performance training models used by pro sports teams. Kelly contrasts the typical "exposure" model of sales training—a one-off kickoff meeting or seminar with no follow-up, repetition, or coaching —with the athletic model of daily, repetitive practice. Athletes don't start with a full-pads scrimmage. They break down skills into individual components (like a receiver catching one-handed balls), then practice them in small groups (like 7-on-7 drills), building habits through repetition. This is the only way to move a skill from "conscious incompetence" (knowing you're not good at it) to "unconscious competence" (flawless execution under pressure). If you're tired of your team developing bad habits and failing under duress, it's time to embrace real practice, like role-play. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson
More episodes of the podcast Sales [UN]Training
BEST OF: Create Buyer URGENCY: The 7 Critical Psychological Steps You Must Master to Close Any Deal
29/12/2025
BEST OF: HIRE BETTER SALESPEOPLE: How to Identify True Hunters vs. Farmers in Sales Hiring Decisions
23/12/2025
BUILD Consistent Sales Results: How Predictable Teams WIN with Three Critical Disciplines
08/12/2025
STOP Losing Sales: Coaching Adjustments Every Sales Leader Must MASTER for Consistent Results
01/12/2025
BOOST Your Sales Credibility: Master First Impressions, Consultative Selling, and Buyer Trust FAST
24/11/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.