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Sales Isn’t Broken. We Just Forgot to Practice. 🏉📞

Fundamentals over technology. Sales is still a human to human sport, so we need to train like athletes if we want to win the game.

Author

Royce Hall
July 10, 2025

Pete Evans runs Ventas Sales, a sales transformation consultancy out of the UK. His focus is helping salespeople, managers, and teams perform better — not just through better tools, but through better fundamentals. The things that actually improve sales skills, not just add to the pile of technology.

Things like:
✅ Preparation
✅ Practice
✅ Coaching
✅ Role clarity

There’s a lot of noise in the sales world right now. AI tools, sequences, enrichment, voice notes. Pete’s take is simple: use the tools. But don’t forget why they exist.

“You’re not selling to a robot.” 🤖
"The other person on the call is still a human. Pick up the phone and talk to them."

We might use AI to find the contact. But the contact isn’t an AI. They’re a real person who wants to know that you’ve done your homework, can add value, and aren’t going to waste their time. That’s not something you automate.

That’s something you show up prepared for.

🧠 The job is still making connections

Pete made the point that the fundamentals of selling haven’t really changed. What’s changed is that we have gotten a little lazy and over-reliant on AI.

Salespeople used to practice. They used to prep. Now we send sequences and hope for a response.

I think some of the tools are making people lazy and a bit complacent because we all have technology... The smartphone is probably the best marketing tool that you've got. But actually, what you've got to do is use it for the thing that it was originally designed for, which is actually having a conversation.

The best sellers still take time to:

  • Map the account 📍

  • Plan the call 🧾

  • Assign roles 🗣️

  • Rehearse messaging 🗂️

  • Anticipate objections 🧱

You don’t have to rehearse like you're pitching Shark Tank — but you do need to be ready for the questions, the objections, and the curveballs.

🤼 Sales is a team sport

Whether you follow American football or Pete’s hometown sport of rugby 🏉, the best teams win because they know their roles. Everyone knows who’s carrying the ball, who’s blocking, who’s making the read.

“If the players don’t know their role, you don’t win. Sales teams are no different.”

Especially in multi-person pitches, it’s not enough to show up — you have to show up aligned. And as the sales leader, it is your job to quarterback the discussion and players. Who talks to whom and what role each person plays on your team.

Unclear roles = awkward silences or overlapping chatter. Both kill momentum.

✅ Prep together
✅ Debrief together
✅ Deliver with intention

😅 It’s not about personality

A lot of sellers still think their charm will carry them. But as Pete pointed out:

They say, “I’ve got great relationships with my clients.”

So you ask, “When’s the last time they bought something else from you?” Usually, it’s been a while.

Bad news: they are not your customer. They are someone else’s customer who is providing greater value to the relationship

The “relationship builder” badge isn’t worth much without action behind it. Strong sellers:

  • Ask better questions

  • Stay curious

  • Apply feedback

  • Show up prepared

That has nothing to do with being extroverted. It has everything to do with intent and effort. Are you putting in effort to become better at sales and add more value to the conversations you are having with your clients?

🔁 What to do with this

If you're in sales, RevOps, or enablement, here’s the short version:

💡 Stop skipping prep. Even 20 minutes of focused research can transform a meeting.
💡 Practice with your team. Role play the pitch. Clarify who's saying what.
💡 Don’t blame the tools. If your results are off, it’s probably not your CRM.
💡 Stay curious. Ask better questions. Listen harder.

Two last quotes from Pete:

“Great salespeople are coachable, curious, and committed to getting better. Most just don’t block the time for it.”

“Sales is a performance. It's like an act. And, you know, if you're not prepared to practice for that performance, how can you expect to win?”

The tools we have today are incredible. But if we rely on them to do the work for us, we miss the point.

Sales is still a human conversation. And it still rewards the people who take it seriously.

📲 Want to Connect with Pete?

Find him on LinkedIn.
And also check out Ventas Sales.

Watch the full episode on YouTube and don’t forget to subscribe to the Coffee Dreaming Podcast for more RevOps conversations.

Looking for a sales community?

If you are looking for a place where you can meet other sales pros for mentorship, training, or commiserating, join me on SalesHookup. It is a great place to meet and network with other sales pros for free.