Practice and Presentation
After every match, world champion and top ranked tennis player Rafael Nadal practices for 45 minutes hitting 135 mph serves. No one sees him do it.
Nadal is one of the best in the world at his chosen profession and he has been for many years. Yes, he has some natural talent, as you do with sales and human relations. But it’s this relentless practice that makes the great ones the best.
Practice is a key part of preparation and leads to confidence which is critical in any encounter with a prospect or client. When we observe and interview top performers, we find that many of them conduct a mental and sometimes verbal rehearsal of the ideal client interaction to PRACTICE before the real thing. Here some of the specific areas they think about before the meeting or call happens:
- What is the purpose of the meeting?
- How will I know if I have achieved the purpose? What are my specific desired outcomes?
- What relevant non-business areas can I bring up to the prospect/client to build/re-establish rapport quickly?
- If I only have 5 minutes with the prospect/client, what will I say or do?
- What are the most important questions for me to ask?
- If my regular contact’s boss stops in, what will I say or do?
- What are the key benefits of my offering that are most important for me to highlight for this client/prospect?
- What potential objections may I receive and how will I handle them?
- What are the ideal next steps that this interaction should lead to?
Practice leads to greatness and elite performance. As salespeople, we practice through these mental rehearsals in advance of key meetings. What key preparatory questions must you ask yourself and how will you practice to ensure greatness?