Should sales reps be practicing their pitch in the mirror? I saw this quote from sales guru Grant Cardone the other day and it really got me thinking:

Do salespeople take enough time to really practice their craft?

By practice, I don’t mean mindlessly banging out call after call, but really sitting down and thinking about their entire sales process and how they can improve each of their weaknesses, through every stage of the funnel.

Cardone has another amazing quote which I love:

“Don’t practice your pitch on your customers!”

Come to think of it, isn’t it completely bonkers that we practice our sales pitch on our customers instead of practicing and honing it with our colleagues, managers and family?

My 3 tips for practicing your sales skills:

1. Mock calls, mock calls, mock calls

Mock calls, whilst slightly awkward are actually a fantastic way of practicing your sales pitch. No wonder they are a staple of most sales recruiting interviews. To overcome the embarrassment and awkwardness, pick a colleague who you are close with, and practice on each other. Ask them to grill you with tough questions and objections and practice overcoming them.

2. Refresh yourself on your sales presentation weekly

Can you run through your sales presentation without looking at it? If not, you simply haven’t practiced enough. When you find yourself with a few spare minutes (in the shower, in the car, on the way to your next meeting), challenge yourself to see how much of your sales presentation you can get through verbally on your own.

3. Dedicate some time to practice

We’re all busy, but like Grant says, the best salespeople find the time to practice. Find those gaps in your schedule to really practice. Track what you practice, measure improvements to performance.

If you want to be a great sales rep — you need to take a serious approach to your craft. Measure, practice, optimise and repeat.