Question #1: Ever wonder where the term muscle memory comes from? 

Here’s how Gemini summarizes the neuroscience that underpins the phrase:

“Myelin sheaths insulate neural pathways, making signal transmission faster and more efficient. Repeated practice thickens these sheaths, reinforcing neural circuits, which help transform skills into automatic behaviors. This process explains how habits and “muscle memory” are formed through consistent repetition.

Question #2: Ever heard of the “forgetting curve?” 

Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus coined the term, get this, in 1885. 

The forgetting curve suggests that without reinforcement, people forget up to 70% of what they learn within 24 hours and up to 90% after a week, with a sharp initial decline in retention unless spaced repetition and ongoing practice are employed

See the pattern? Spaced Repetition is what leads to mastery of a skill. Playbooks and a repeatable framework for ongoing coaching and practice is not a “nice-to-have”—it’s critical. 

According to HubSpot, “Companies with continuous sales training reap as high as 50% higher net sales per employee than companies without.” Let that sink in for a second. 50%!

So why do so many sales and marketing organizations lack a formal approach or not make it a priority? There are a few reasons:

Focus on Immediate Results: Teams are often pressured to focus on short-term goals, leaving little time for ongoing training and skill reinforcement. The urgency for immediate performance overshadows the need for long-term skill development​

Lack of Resources: Some organizations may lack the tools, time, or resources to implement structured practice programs. Training is frequently seen as a one-time event rather than a continuous process, leading to a failure in reinforcing skills over time​.

Perceived Inefficiency: Leaders may view ongoing practice and reinforcement as less efficient compared to direct selling activities, which may seem like a more productive use of time. The long-term benefits of retention and skill mastery are undervalued in favor of sales activities.

But teams are catching up and catching on. Which could include some of your competitors

The evidence of this is the proliferation of platforms that support ongoing practice and coaching—like Luster, Brainshark, Pitchmonster, and Mursion. Savvy leaders recognize that regular practice and feedback improve performance and that this can be a big differentiator –  Especially at a time when product differentiation is getting harder to come by.

In this series, we will be sharing insights and best practices that we have been working on perfecting for several years, as well as sharing the wisdom of others whose work in this area that we admire and in some cases emulate. For those of you with kids who read Fancy Nancy books, “emulate” is a fancy word for copy.