Give them the foundation, but don't stop there
A script or a rebuttal sheet is table stakes, not training. New reps can memorize every line and still fold the second a real homeowner goes off-script. Hand them the foundation on day one, then treat it as the starting point, not the finish line. The goal isn't recall, it's reflex.
Drill the objections in isolation, one at a time
Don't make a new rep juggle the whole pitch at once. Pick one objection, 'not interested' or 'I already have someone,' and have them run it ten times until the response is automatic. Then move to the next. Reps who drill objections individually build muscle memory faster than reps who only ever do full run-throughs.
Let them practice before they burn real doors
This is the step almost every team skips. A rep's first real practice should not be on a live homeowner, because every fumble there is a lead you paid to generate, gone. Give them a safe place to rehearse the full back-and-forth, including the resistance, before they knock. Reps who have already handled an objection fifty times in practice don't freeze when they hear it for real.
Ride along, but coach the recovery, not just the pitch
Ride-alongs are gold, but most managers only critique the opener. The bigger lesson is in the recovery: what the rep did after they got hit with an objection, whether they kept control of the next step or handed the homeowner a card and walked away. Debrief the moments where the deal was won or lost, not the whole knock.
Measure readiness, not just activity
Door count tells you a rep worked. It doesn't tell you they're ready. Before you send someone into a territory, you should be able to answer: can they handle the five objections that kill most deals in our vertical? If you can't answer that, you're not training, you're hoping. Make readiness something you can actually see.