How To Practice Like A Champion

How To Practice Like A Champion

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.”

So, there I was, watching game three of The National Basketball Association(NBA) Finals.  The Cleveland Cavaliers were leading the Golden State Warriors by two points with less than one minute left to play, and Golden State has possession of the ball.   

Normally in this situation, the team with the ball calls a timeout to regroup.  With the clock, close to zero and the game on the line, they usually slow things down to draw up the winning play.  Apparently, Kevin Durant didn’t get the memo!

Durant, the Warriors best player, dribbled the ball up the court ahead of his teammates.  He stopped twenty-six feet away from the basket to attempt a three-point shot. If he misses, his team loses the game and he shoulders the blame. 

 Since he had moved the ball beyond his teammates, there was no one under the basket to get the rebound.  Durant pulls up for the shot and SWISH!!!  He makes it, and the Warriors win!!  Two games later, they would win the NBA championship.  As a Cleveland fan, I was not a happy camper.

“What a fluke!” I yelled at the screen. “He’s such a lucky guy!” But my opinion changed after watching his postgame interview with the sideline reporter.   She asked him: “Can you tell us how you walked so confidently into that three-point shot being down with the game on the line?” His response: “All I was looking at was the bottom of the net. I’ve been working on that shot my entire life!”   

Champions are handed the trophy in prime time, but they become a champion in their downtime.   Durant practiced in private, so he could walk into the high pressure public moment with confidence. 

Can you walk into that high-pressure moment of the exit appointment with confidence?  Have you been working on presenting fluid exchanges your entire life?  When the phone rings, are you looking at the bottom of the net…profit line?

If you answered NO to any of my questions, it’s time to learn how to practice like a champion.  Keep reading to learn two strategies to make this happen. 

Create Random Role Plays

Watching Kevin Durant reminded me of an old interview I saw with basketball legend Michael Jordan.   Jordan had this uncanny ability to lead his teams to victory even when they were behind late in games. 

I thought this ability was a gift that he was born with. I thought he was just lucky.  I thought wrong.   During the interview, Jordan explained that during practice sessions, the players were divided into two teams. 

If the team he was on built up a big lead, the session was stopped.  Jordan was then switched to the losing team and had to practice leading that team to victory.    This random role play during his downtime, let to his success in prime time! 

So how can you use this idea of random role plays at your shop? First, pick a specific aspect of your business where your advisor struggles to execute.  Let’s use the brake fluid exchange for this example. 

Next, create a random vehicle, like a 2010 Ford Fusion.   From there, you approach your advisor during their downtime and have them present you a brake fluid exchange.   If they can consistently execute the random role plays, they will approach your actual customers with confidence. 

Focus On Repetition

I was at the gym recently and noticed the personal trainer had six pack abs.  Feeling inspired, I asked him to share his ab exercise routine with me, so that I too could get a “six pack”.  Later that day, I worked his ab program by doing sit ups and crunches for over an hour. 

When I looked at my stomach, I noticed that I still didn’t have a six pack!   I felt bad until I spoke with the trainer and he gave me the details of his routine.   He had been doing that same routine three times a week for the past four years.  While I was expecting instant results, he was focused on repetition. 

During a recent Success Magazine interview, noted author Simon Sinek, described this as the difference between repetition and intensity.

According to Sinek, you’re focused on intensity when you perform the behavior one time in an intense manner, with the expectation of an immediate payoff. When you focus on repetition, you realize that you must repeat the right actions over time to practice like a champion. 

Having your writer role play one brake fluid exchange, won’t make her a champion. You won’t become the master of the one on one meeting after conducting one session.  One intense day of making thank you calls, won’t make you a champion of car count.      Champions in any arena possess the capacity to repeat the same routine over and over until they achieve mastery. 

Summary

So, there you have it.  Creating random role plays, and focusing on repetition, will position you to practice like a champion.  By doing this you will look at a green bottom line on your portal and see “nothing but net!” 

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Want to practice the service process, but don’t know where to start?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a step by step Automotive Service Process video.