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No that’s not a quote from a hockey movie. That’s the advice of wise and witty sales coach David A Brock. The premise? You can read all you want about sales strategy – what others have done, what experts are saying, what the latest statistics are, but when it comes down to it, the best way to learn is to go out there and give it a go.

I like this advice. I like it because it rings true to me that the only way to really get good at something is to step into it. It also serves as a warning that you are likely to experience the pain of failure. It further implies that if you plan to play the game long you better bring all the courage and stamina you can muster to every engagement. Don’t step onto the field unless you have determined to win and you are willing to get bruised in the process.

Experience counts. As Bob Gibson, another wise business coach says: “In business, experience teaches what grad schools can’t: things like business acumen, performing under pressure, and judgment.” As we endure and persevere, the principle of accumulation is at work. It stretches us until we find our unique abilities in those scrimmages and skirmishes.

Have you been less than successful lately? Perhaps you’ve been holding back. Do like Dave says: Go out there and get your teeth kicked in a few times. Try something new. Besides a few teeth, what have you got to lose? Look through the pain to the rewards of experience found in the principle of accumulation.