the episode

Have you ever done something for the first time, without prior knowledge and been able to achieve success? If so, you’re truly unique. Most humans find themselves meeting new challenges with a series of frustrations and failures. Imagine an infant as they decide to walk for the first time, they stand up then they stagger and inevitably they fall. To become consistent walkers they repeat the stand-stagger-fall cycle for a few weeks or months. This pattern of stand-stagger-fall is repeated throughout our lives. Over time we learn that practicing tasks makes eventual success more likely. We also learn that preparation is a bit of a grind certainly not enjoyable and nearly always hard work. But learning to effectively gain new skills and improve performance with existing skills is the key task we all face as adults. So, we learn to practice.

This week, I get to chat with Matt Nettleton about the importance of practice and the danger of over practicing.

our guest Matt Nettleton

Sales Professional Matt Nettleton, founder of Sandler Training, DTB has done and seen it all—from both the trenches and from the boardroom. He understands salespeople and knows how to help them become the best they can be. He helps elevate the profession—and the professional salesperson’s view of himself.

An accident shaped Matt’s story: a football injury led to a summer spent selling vacuum cleaners door to door for Kirby. Two things happened that summer Matt won the Liberty Division Scholarship for best sales in 3 states and Matt discovered that he loved selling.

Transferring his discipline learned on the football field into the sales world let Matt succeed in a series of top sales positions with one of the largest consumer products companies in the world, Coca Cola.

Later Matt sold in the brutally competitive world of residential real estate. In 1999, Matt became a client of Sandler Training, he says it “just clicked” for him. The purposeful approach of Sandler appeals to Matt’s pragmatism and provided a process to lead others to sales success without relying on “Positive Mental Attitude” or “Rah Rah BS Inspiration.