July 5, 2025 | Read online
Still Letting Reps Practice on Prospects? That's Sabotage, Not Training
by Kevin 'KD' Dorsey
Y’all, it’s 2025. AI is writing your sequences. Your prospects are ghosting you faster than ever. And somehow… reps are still learning how to sell on live buyers?
I said it last year and I’ll say it again louder now: Letting sales reps “practice” on prospects is not just lazy—it’s unethical. We’ve stopped doing this in sports. In medicine. In aviation.
But in sales? Still tossing rookies the keys to the revenue engine and hoping they don’t stall out.
If your GTM motion still relies on live-fire learning, you’re not just leaking pipeline. You’re setting it on fire.
Let’s talk about why this has to end—and what needs to replace it.
Buyers Aren’t a Sandbox.
They’re the Super Bowl.
Nobody gets good in the game. The game is where you prove what you practiced. But we keep sending reps into high-stakes calls with little more than vibes and a 3-slide onboarding deck.
Result? Awkward calls. Botched discovery. Trust obliterated in under 60 seconds. In today’s market, one bad interaction isn’t a learning moment—it’s a lost logo. And when pipeline is this precious, that’s not a risk worth taking.
Sponsored Insight: The GTM Intelligence Report by ZoomInfo
The ZoomInfo 2025 GTM Intelligence Report doesn’t just throw more data at the problem—it breaks down why the old sales assembly line is crumbling and how the best teams are moving in real time with signal-driven execution.
- 25% of revenue is lost due to bad data.
- AI usage is up 893%, but only 19% of companies are actually AI-ready.
- Companies using GTM Intelligence see 5x revenue growth and 89% higher profits.
This isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter, with systems that actually support seller readiness before anyone hits “dial.”
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Practicing on Prospects = Brand Damage in Disguise
Prospects deserve respect and professionalism, y’all. They’re not guinea pigs for us to experiment on. They aren’t practice dummies. They’re evaluating your entire company in a 12-minute Zoom call.
And when your rep shows up fumbling? It’s not just a missed sale. It’s a trust withdrawal. A social post. A Slack message to peers warning them off your brand.
In 2025, that damage spreads faster than your enablement content. You’re not just losing one deal—you’re poisoning the well for future ones.
What Elite Teams Are Doing Instead
The top 5% of GTM teams aren’t just doing more reps. They’re doing better ones—behind the scenes.
✅ Roleplays with nuance
✅ AI-fueled simulations based on real call data
✅ Certification before customer exposure
✅ Shadowing top performers before SDRs go live
They’ve built training that respects both the rep and the buyer.
And when reps finally hit the field? They move with confidence—not confusion. Only allow customer interactions once reps demonstrate proficiency. Top athletes spend years honing skills before professional debuts, and sales should be no different. We need to bring that practice-focused mindset back into sales. You spent more time practicing than playing, and you know it—we all know it.
Practice is how you develop the skills to excel in the game.
Conclusion
Letting reps practice on prospects isn’t a “growth opportunity.” It’s a liability dressed up as hustle.
Respect the game. Respect the buyer. Respect the craft. Sales isn’t a playground. And it sure as hell isn’t a place to learn by guessing.
Want world-class outcomes? Start with world-class preparation.
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