Practice makes perfect, but wait...

As the cliché goes, "Practice makes perfect." Fair enough. The question is, what are you practicing? Are you practicing excellence, or are you practicing negativity, excuse-making or a victim mentality? Logistically, behaviors you repeat over and over would fall under the definition of "practice." So, by analyzing your mindset over this past week and your behaviors, you can see what you're practicing.

Marketing guru Seth Godin says there are two simple rules of practice:

You get better at what you practice.

Everything is practice.

Look around your team, company or even your circle of friends, and you may be shocked by what people practice daily. If you consider each moment a repetition, what are most people practicing? Many are practicing getting mad on social media. Others are practicing the art of victim mentality and focusing on how they have been wronged. Still, others are practicing the art of excuse-making: the economy, the political climate and the senior sellers have all the best accounts.

What are you practicing?

Since I believe we all have an internal desire/need to get better, here are three strategies to ensure you are practicing the right behaviors: Behavioral Tracking and Self-Reflection - Successful professionals often engage in self-reflection to assess whether their actions align with their goals. Media salespeople can track their daily activities and determine if they're practicing the behaviors that lead to successful sales, such as relationship-building, active listening and offering tailored solutions. Regular self-assessment can highlight areas where practice needs refinement.

Focus on Skill Mastery Through Deliberate Practice - Simply repeating a behavior is not enough to improve—it must be done with intent. Deliberate practice involves identifying specific skills or tasks that need improvement, breaking them into smaller components, and practicing with feedback. As media salespeople, we can identify key aspects of our sales approach (e.g., presenting proposals, handling objections) and focus on refining those behaviors incrementally to achieve better results.

Feedback Loops from Peers or Mentors - Studies on skill development highlight the importance of feedback in correcting and honing behaviors. Media salespeople can benefit from seeking regular feedback from peers, mentors or managers to ensure they are practicing the correct behaviors. Constructive criticism and advice can guide them toward the most effective sales techniques and prevent the reinforcement of ineffective habits.

These points can help salespeople ensure they're not just repeating actions but practicing behaviors that will drive success in media sales. The fantastic trumpet player Louie Armstrong said: "Amateurs practice until they get it right; professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."

You must answer the key question: "What are you practicing?"

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@rab.com. You can all so connect with him on X and LinkedIn.