Using Deliberate Practice to Accelerate Your Sales Force: The Hard Evidence
Sales leaders are constantly seeking ways to improve their team's performance. One powerful method gaining traction is deliberate practice.
This concept has been explored in depth in Harvard Business Review and by authors such as Malcolm Gladwell in "Outliers," Daniel Coyle in “The Talent Code,” and James Clear in "Atomic Habits," highlighting its potential to transform performance across various fields.
This blog post explores the compelling evidence supporting the use of deliberate practice to train salespeople and accelerate sales force development to boost overall performance.
Deliberate practice can be the primary tool for building expertise with sales conversations
Understanding Deliberate Practice
Deliberate practice, a concept popularized by Anders Ericsson in his book "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise," involves high-concentration practice beyond one's comfort zone.
It's not just about simple repetition; it's about focused, structured practice with immediate feedback, coaching and application of that feedback. It’s about tracking, documenting, and reporting on specific competencies and skills.
When applied to sales, the learning experience cycles through:
Establishing a safe learning environment that simulates real conversation
Breaking the customer conversation into discrete steps
Practicing and repeating the steps of the sales process in sequence
Receiving feedback and coaching and then implementing it promptly
Escalating the challenge as needed while tracking performance improvement
Applied by professionals in this way, deliberate practice can be the primary tool for building expertise with sales conversations and even replacing knowledge-based sales training.
The Impact on Sales Performance
The evidence supporting deliberate practice in sales is compelling:
Behavior Change: Deliberate practice is the vehicle by which theoretical knowledge can be transformed into actual behavior change. This is crucial in sales, where performance is directly tied to actions and behaviors.
Skill Development: Deliberate practice rewires the brain, equipping salespeople with the necessary abilities to perform under pressure. This is particularly important for new salespeople or in high-stakes sales situations.
Revenue Increase: Studies have shown significant improvements in sales performance through deliberate practice. For example, relationship managers who engaged in deliberate practice have seen substantial increases in sales revenue.
Implementing Deliberate Practice in Sales
To effectively implement deliberate practice in your sales force, consider the following strategies:
One-to-One Practice: Institute role-play and practice as an expectation for your sales force. This can be done in person or using virtual coaching tools.
Upskilling Leaders: Invest in your sales managers and leaders by having them practice high-impact sales coaching and removing impediments to time spent coaching.
Create a Coaching Culture: Engage your sales training or enablement teams to foster a culture of practice and coaching.
Utilize Technology: Capitalize on available technology, including AI-enabled practice tools, to make deliberate practice scalable, cost-effective and more accessible.
The Path to Sales Mastery
A comprehensive approach to sales mastery through deliberate practice involves intensive learning and application followed by ongoing sustainment interventions and real-world practice:
Learn: Acquire knowledge through deliberate learning and workshops
Practice: Develop skills through focused, 1:1 deliberate practice
Apply: Transfer skills to real situations in role
Refine: Close gaps and enhance strengths through targeted 1:1 practice
Master: Achieve high levels of skill mastery over time and sustain with real-world practice
This approach aligns with James Clear's "Atomic Habits" concept of using small, consistent improvements to build significant skills over time.
Overcoming Common Challenges
Despite its proven benefits, occasionally, organizations struggle to implement deliberate practice effectively. Common challenges include:
Time Constraints: Sales leaders often cite a lack of time as a barrier to implementing deliberate practice. Overcome this challenge by removing obstacles to coaching time and establishing a clear chain of accountabilities from the top down. Time blocking and technology can help free up time.
Resistance to Change: Salespeople with years of experience may resist new training methods. To beat this challenge, leaders should participate in the practice activities themselves and then focus on building trust, understanding individual concerns, and clearly communicating the benefits of deliberate practice. Highlighting success stories and offering reassurance throughout the transition can help salespeople embrace new approaches.
Inconsistent Application: Without proper structure, practice sessions can become random "activities" rather than deliberate practice. To build structure, establish clear communication from the C-Suite down, implement regular practice sessions, empower managers as coaches, and create a culture of continuous learning.
The Bottom Line
The evidence is clear: deliberate practice is a powerful tool for accelerating sales force performance. As Daniel Coyle argues in "The Talent Code," the development of expertise is closely tied to focused, deliberate practice across various fields.
In a world where sales performance is under constant pressure, the need for effective skill development has never been more critical. By implementing deliberate practice, sales leaders can drive real behavior change, improve core skills, and boost revenue.
As you consider your sales training and enablement strategy, remember that high-quality selling requires intense skill development through deliberate practice. The question is not whether you can afford to implement deliberate practice but whether you can afford not to.
References
https://www.salescoachdew.com/deliberate-practice-better-salesperson/ https://www.journalofexpertise.org/articles/volume4_issue2/JoE_4_2_Harris_Eccles.pdf https://hbr.org/2007/07/the-making-of-an-expert
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., \& Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363-406.
Ericsson, A., \& Pool, R. (2016). Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company.
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy \& Proven Way to Build Good Habits \& Break Bad Ones. Avery.
Coyle, D. (2009). The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. Bantam Books.
Colvin, G. (2008). Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. Penguin Books.
Practica-Learning.com. (2025). Revolutionizing Deliberate Practice in Business Conversations with AI. Retrieved from [https://www.practica-learning.com/blog/revolutionizing-deliberate-practice-in-business-conversations-with-ai]
Sales Coach Dew. (2016). Deliberate Practice Will Make You a Better Salesperson. Retrieved from [https://www.salescoachdew.com/deliberate-practice-better-salesperson/]
Practica Learning. (2024). Deliberate Practice: A Game-Changer for Leadership Skills. Retrieved from [https://www.practica-learning.com/blog/evidence-for-deliberate-practice]
The Joy of Business. (n.d.). What I Learnt About Deliberate Practice. Retrieved from [https://www.thejoyofbusiness.co.uk/why/peak-deliberate-practice/]
