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I had been selling advertising for three years (not a very long time by any means) but I felt completely 'burned out.' The grass looked a whole lot greener everywhere else but inside my cubicle. My feelings were that I had gone as far as I could go at that particular job. My account list was shrinking. So was my income…and self-esteem. My perception of our own management was fading fast. Some nights, I couldn't sleep. Some mornings, I couldn't wake up (or didn't want to).
Sales is a high-energy, high-demand profession. We're taught how to talk on the phone, ask questions and overcome objections, but seldom are we taught how to cope with the chaos.
If you're looking to restore the pizzazz to selling, and the fun and money that goes with it, here are four areas to work on. I suggest you study the role each one now has in your life and, if any of them could use improvement, start an action plan now to make it happen.
Give Yourself a Fresh Start. When we get into a funk, we tend to dwell on it. Starting fresh here means leave the past in the past. If you've been the low biller at the paper, stop thinking like the low biller. If you haven't been seeing enough customers, stop dwelling on failures and focus on fresh opportunities. "Fake it 'til you make it." Start thinking, acting and talking like a peak performer. This isn't fluff. It's an essential ingredient to your success.
2) Change Your Routine. Make a full and complete change! The time you wake up in the morning, the time you leave for work, your daytime habits…everything.
Try taking an early morning jog. Eat a healthy breakfast. Take a new route to work. Restructure your day (avoid 'time wasters' like gossip interruptions and excessive, habitual coffee breaks). Old habits and outcomes go hand in hand.
3) Build a New Action Plan. Link your daily planner to your outcome goals. Focus on revenue-generating activity which, in outside sales, means face-to-face with new prospects and, with inside sales, means more phone time with more people who can buy. Commit yourself to it. Measure your progress and never wrap up a day without giving yourself a personal, 'no-excuses' assessment.
4) Take Action in Your Personal Life. Sales slumps can cause, or be the result of issues outside of work. If you have family at home, make sure they get the good you, not the frustrated, frazzled you. Put them first and the rest will follow. Finances, too, can keep a person from thinking clearly. If bills are mounting, take action. You'd be amazed at how good it feels to itemize them and get on the phone to each of them to arrange more comfortable payments. There are low and no-cost credit counselors in your community who can help. Adjusting your dietary, exercise and sleeping habits can change you from being lethargic to an energetic dynamo, ready to take on all challenges!
Oh, and I did get back into advertising sales. The very next day. If I had known then what I know now, I could have saved myself a lot of anxiety.
When we say 'keep the fire burning,' we don't mean the candle at both ends! It means consciously keeping yourself 'fired up.' And that's a sure way to avoid
getting burned out.
Joe Guertin, the Sales Streetfighter, is a sales speaker, trainer and consultant, specializing in
ad sales. Your comments are welcome at 414-762-2450, or by e-mail to joe@joeguertin.com
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