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Negotiator's Notebook Blog
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When I went to spin class this morning, the value of accumulation was impressed on me once again. For two years I’ve been taking Pilates and spin classes, which, for the uninitiated, involve paying people to scream at you and push you to do unnatural physical acts.
Spin class goes something like this:
• The first class, you think you’re going to die.
• The second class, you think you may live (but you’re not sure).
• The third class, you actually get the hang of it and do a pretty good job.
• The fourth class, you do much better and think, “I’m ready to move up from this to the regular class.
This morning’s spin class was my first after getting back from two weeks on the road, and you know what? It was tough, but it was doable. And the next class, day after tomorrow, will be just another day at the gym.
The reason for this happy state of affairs is the law of accumulation. The law of accumulation refers to the cumulative, or compound, increase in a variable, be it money, knowledge, or a skill.
If a person reads a book a week on a particular subject, in a few years they have a substantial body of knowledge on that subject.
If a person works out at a gym for several years, they have a fitness level that is quite beyond someone who’s been on the couch all that time.
And if a salesperson has been selling for some time, they will have an accumulated knowledge base and skill level that will serve them very well in tough times. That accumulation of knowledge and experience propels us right through times of adversity, when we’re up against the wall.
Research backs this up. Science tells us that most people need a thousand hours of practice/experience to perform a task well, and ten thousand hours to achieve “mastery.” I think, in most endeavors, these numbers hold true.
You see this in golf. On Sunday in a big tournament, when the pressure’s on, if the choice is between a seasoned professional, who’s been in the final pairing on Sundays in big tournaments before, and a talented newcomer, my money will be on the seasoned professional every time.
Experience counts.
In business, experience teaches what grad school can’t: things like business acumen, performing under pressure, and judgment.
Take a look at your sales team, and be sure you’re using your experienced people to fullest advantage. I’m talking about the ones who have a track record of performing well and have been through a few times like these. They may not have the stamina to make the number of calls the youngsters do, but when they’re head-to-head in a competitive situation, and the pressure is on, they’re your best chance to close the big sales with good margins.
So here’s to talent, and here’s to youthful enthusiasm, but also, here’s to experience—and the accumulation of knowledge, street-smarts, and a steady hand that goes with it.
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