The best investment you’ll ever make in your success is in...YOU

Sales| success mindset| Habits| Business Development

January 10, 2026•3 min read

This weekend, I have been watching the U.S. figure skating championships. At the end of the weekend, the decision will be made as to which athletes will be competing and representing our country in the Olympics. As I was watching, there were some videos shared of the competing skaters, getting started on the ice, some as young as age 3. This made me stop and realize that becoming the best in what we do, whether it is skating, a sport, or sales, is a journey, and can seem like a life commitment.

In sales and business development, markets shift, products change, and competition evolves. But there’s one investment that consistently delivers the highest return—investing in yourself, your skills, and your professional development.

The Sales Acceleration Code is built on a simple truth: success isn’t created by a single training event—it’s built through reinforcement, repetition, and intentional execution over time. Yet one of the biggest mistakes sales leaders and organizations make is treating sales training as one-and-done. A workshop happens, notebooks get filled, and then everyone returns to old habits under pressure.

Peak performance doesn’t work that way.

The best sales professionals—and the strongest teams—understand that growth requires ongoing practice, coaching, and review. Just like elite athletes, they revisit fundamentals, sharpen their mindset, and refine their approach continuously.

Here are key ways to invest wisely in yourself and your team:

1. Prioritize mindset and habits, not just tactics

Skills matter, but habits determine execution when things get tough. It has been said that it can take up to 30 days to create a new habit.

2. Commit to reinforcement over time

Short, consistent training and coaching sessions outperform one large event. Ask for feedback - at the end of each day, week, month, ask 'what did I do well?' and 'What can I do better?'

3. Seek feedback and accountability

Growth accelerates when someone helps you see what you can’t see yourself. Feedback is a gift that helps us get better.

4. Apply, review, and adjust

What gets practiced intentionally becomes reliable under pressure. Correct and continue when you are off track and see setbacks as opportunities to grow.

5. Lead by example

When leaders invest in their own development, teams follow. I have worked inside and also supported companies on the outside, and there is 1 consistent theme: the leadership team sets the tone and culture of the team's performance.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

* Believing motivation alone will drive results; it is critical to act in spite of motivation

* Overloading teams with tools but no follow-up; follow through drives success

* Skipping reflection and review; this is where reinforcement happens

* Expecting change without structure or accountability; structure drives self-discipline, as well as systems and structure

* Treating development as an expense instead of a growth strategy; many leaders forget that coaching and training provides an immediate ROI and accelerates sales, revenue, and success

The bottom line? Your greatest competitive advantage isn’t your product—it’s your people and how consistently they execute. When you invest in development the right way, breakthroughs aren’t accidental—they’re inevitable.

Amy Lemire CSP

Amy Lemire CSP DTM works with success-driven leaders and teams who want to be more, make more, and sell more with confidence, with momentum. She is the creator of “The Best Version of You: Success Habits Breakthrough” Program. For the past 10 years, she has trained thousands of sales and business professionals on standards of excellence, and mastery of the keys to success and the ‘Sales Confidence Code.’ Her focus is on how to win the inner game of self-confidence to drive peak performance results in sales, business, and speaking, through the mastery of success habits. After spending 2 decades in business-to-business and medical sales and training, Amy founded AIM Training and Consulting International. She is a certified “Habitfinder” Leadership Coach. Amy is the author of 2 books: “From Zero to Sales Hero,” and “From Zero to Speaker Hero.” Amy was recently designated as a Certified Speaking Professional, in March 2023, by the National Speakers Association, for delivering over 300 hours of training and speaking. She is also a VISTAGE-certified speaker. Amy is a Distinguished Toastmaster, the Past President of National Speakers Association, St Louis Chapter, and a Member of the National Speakers Association. She has been recognized as a Fortune 500 top sales performer and sales trainer for over 3 decades. When she is not working you may find her at local rock concert, personal development seminar, or at home with her husband Nigel and her cat Brianna.

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