Many of us are familiar with the 10,000 Hours rule popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers. The theory goes that for anyone to reach the tipping point of greatness, they must study or practice a specific skill for 10,000 hours. In the years since, the theory has been largely debunked, replaced in many circles and supported with research, by the idea that greatness is not based on quantity, but rather on the quality of deliberate practice, or the process of mastering a skill by focusing very deliberately on the sub-skills that comprise it.
The first, and perhaps most important learning activity for your sales team is their initial onboarding period, yet most companies fail to focus on the importance of what happens after boot camp, or how to activate learning in the field. Becoming a high-performing sales rep requires each individual to master any number of sub-skills--ranging from prospecting and discovery, to active listening, to negotiation and closing--all of which can benefit from deliberate practice.
In this webinar, our speakers discuss how to apply the theory of deliberate practice to the development of your sales reps, particularly during their critical onboarding period, including:
- Understanding the knowledge and skills of your top performers, and establishing specific competencies or sub-skills that must be mastered for success
- Mapping your onboarding program to your sales process, as well as your customer's path to purchase, with specific behavioral criteria for each
- The role of sales managers in creating a continuous feedback loop of coaching and proactive intervention
- The benefit of mobile applications to reinforce and incentivize continuous, deliberate practice, long after boot camp is complete
