Self Care as a Salesperson
Ideas to break away from the routine of selling
This excerpt is from the book, Carry That Quota…
A vital element of self-care is developing ways to break from the routine.
I came to appreciate this while I was on the bus coming home to my apartment in Sydney, Australia. I was wracking my brain over the pile of work that I needed to finish when I got home. The day had gotten away from me, and I was not able to get everything done at the office. As the bus pulled up to the Maroubra Beach stop, I got off and began trekking up the hill to my apartment. With my head still buried in work, I noticed a group of men in business suits getting off the bus with me. They walked over to their parked cars, but they did something unexpected as they approached the vehicles. They started taking off their suit jackets and ties and took out surfboards and wetsuits. As I kept walking up the hill, I turned around a few times and marveled as they sprinted into the ocean with their surfboards. Here I was headed home to continue working, and these guys were headed into the Pacific Ocean to wash the day away. I was clearly missing something. I began observing this group of men each day as I boarded the bus home, and their routine was the same. They would leave their corporate jobs around 5:30 p.m., hop on the bus, arrive at the beach, and get into their surfing outfits and jump in the ocean. It took time, but I began developing my post-work routine, which helped me decompress from the day. Sometimes, I would go for a swim; on other occasions, I would go for a walk, but the simple act of doing something to create balance in my life was important. The takeaway is that working hard is fine, but working hard all of the time is not. It is critical to step away from work and have hobbies and activities that enable you to escape the routine. This can take the form of recreational activities, as well as travel/vacation and finding opportunities to unplug. I have worked with hundreds of salespeople in multiple parts of the world, and I have been inspired by their activities outside of work. Examples like cooking, cycling, reading, practicing stand-up comedy, traveling, running, or shopping exemplify the kinds of activities that I have seen salespeople do to escape the routine. It does not matter what “it” is for you, but you must have something that enables you to break from the work routine.
If you or other sales team members are looking to become better at the craft of sales, please let me know.
Here are a few ways that I may be able to help:
1) Grab a copy of the book or audiobook, Carry That Quota. You can order it here on Amazon or Audible.
2) Take a look at the Carry That Quota Digital Workshop Series. Here is a link to all of the online workshops.
Each workshop is less than 40 minutes and has been designed to help salespeople get better at the craft of sales by focusing on the fundamentals of the sales profession. Salespeople and sales leaders can access these workshops on their phone, their computer, or tablet.