Monday, July 16, 2012

I'd Rather Sweat...


Many years ago, a rather excitable, red-faced gentleman (USMC Drill Instructor) wearing a strange hat with a flat, circular brim, drilled a concept into me that continues to resonate after all these years. There was absolutely no questioning of his words – they were to be acted upon immediately and were never, ever, to be forgotten. He made me, along with about 70 other of my peers, memorize the following phrase verbatim, “I’d rather sweat in training, than bleed in combat.” Simple, yet very effective.

He was right. Success comes down to proper execution of a process, be it in war, or, in business. Proper execution doesn’t occur by magic; it’s the result of rigorous training. Sweat, whether physical or metaphorical, is good because it will improve execution of a process, or a move.  
We help design sales process programs for businesses, and often use this as a discussion point in our work. Following a training roll-out, we help these clients learn to manage to their adopted new processes.

 Along with my colleagues, I recognize that the very best execution of sales performance systems comes from practicing elements of the process. The practice I’m referring to means continued training and repetition, of the process within the organization, well after the consultants have collected their fees and gone home.

Besides practice, it makes pretty good sense for someone to observe, inspect, and assess the results of the adopted process, recalibrating where necessary.  When these things are done, it’s much easier to reap the results from a significant training investment.


3 comments:

  1. Steve, I agree whole heartedly with your passion for practice. If you want to be good at your craft...whatever it is...you've got to put it into practice. The best sales people are always looking for examples and ways to be more effective so when it comes time for customer interaction they're ready. The same was with Steve Jobs...he rehearsed his presentations incessantly before going live before an audience.

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  2. The great ones practice their craft - Thanks for the feedback, Michael!

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  3. Well written and interesting! Practice is the 10,000 rule. It takes about 10,000 times to do something really well. Oh, that our youth understands that concept. xo

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