They call it stormy Monday, ahhh but Tuesday’s just as bad?
Maybe for a musician or a cubicle worker, but for the sales guy…Monday’s are generally stormy. Especially after the close of a sales cycle. You know the feeling I’m talking about? You’re at your desk, or in your car, or in your sales area. You’ve had the Monday morning meeting, everyone’s ready to sell more, sell fast, sell now. You’ve been congratulated on last cycle’s performance (hopefully)…
And here you sit. What do you do? Here is my most common memory of “that” day for me…
Okay, Danny, boss wants you to keep it up. You did well last month, but you need to do even better now. The bar has been raised, and here you are again starting from scratch. Who to call? Who can I sell? I spent all of last week finalizing as many sales as I could, calling on all of my potential clients, eliminating the non-buyers and closing those I could. I’m out of options. Hmmm…the guys are all going out for coffee…maybe I’ll tackle this after lunch…or tomorrow
Pause….
What!? It’s the end of the week already, and I don’t have squat to show for my “effort” this week. I hate starting over! Last week a hero, now struggling to keep my manager satisfied. What happened?
If you’re like me, this has happened to you too many times. It can be so hard to rebound after the end of a grueling sales cycle. But you know what? It doesn’t have to be. Here are a few tips to keep you productive, even when starting at zero!
- Don’t start the new week with a pile of administrative, non-productive garbage. Do it Friday afternoon or Sunday evening. A good friend of mine is a regional manager for a large successful office machines company, and this is one of his “tricks of the trade”. If you start Monday with 2 hours of paperwork to do, it’ll end up monopolizing your entire day. Sure, you can justify it because it has to be done, but the fact remains that you’re not selling while you do it, so you’re in essence spinning your wheels and going nowhere. Spend a little time on Friday, or even Sunday, getting through the mundane administrivia, and you can start Monday actually ready to sell!
- Sell something! Okay, I know it’s not that simple. My point is, you need to be selling. So get on the phone, get in the car, make contact with clients. Once you’re going, it’s easier to keep momentum and continue the activity that will lead to more sales. Don’t sit and email, and wait for response. The key here is to be moving, talking to actual clients or prospects. Even if you spend all day Monday being rejected and told NO…you’ve accomplished something. You’ve set a standard. Sales is a numbers game, so even the no’s are necessary to get to the yes’s! Plus, just like anything else, continuing is easier than starting. You get paid to talk…so get out there and do it. Heck, why not start the week with your most difficult prospect…grease the wheels a little, you never know what an ambitious Monday can yield.
- If you’re truly exhausted, take a break. Just not Monday morning. Get to work, it will energize you! Knock off a little early on Monday afternoon. Or if you need to see clients during the late afternoon because of their schedule, go fill what I call “The Minutes Between” with something you are interested in. I like guitar stores. My buddy Larry likes used record stores. Steve likes mochas and our local outdoor gear store. It could be anything. So it’s 2pm, you have an appointment at 2:45. You’ve started today very well. Out of the office early, out selling all day. A little weary, you need a break. So go to the coffee shop and check email, browse online for a new phone, gps, shirt, tennis racquet, 3-wood, etc. Stop at your favorite local retailer and strike up a conversation. You never know, he or she could end up being a client. If not, you’ve rested, enjoyed a small part of your day that was just for you, and are now ready to get back to work.
- Tag team! Use a friend, colleague, boss, to make you better. Whether it’s sharing a sale, or accepting a challenge, use those around you to help you be more productive. I’ve used my colleagues on countless occasions as sounding boards and personal continuing education. Everybody is different. Maybe the way they communicate is what your client needs. Don’t be afraid to share the effort or the glory. Ask your boss to come with you, or be on the call with you. Usually if he’s positioned above you in the hierarchy of your business, it’s because he’s been successful at the level you are at right now. USE HIM!
I guarantee that if you’ll get busy early Monday morning, using these four tips or even your own personal wisdom, you’ll start the next sales cycle with as little of the “Stormy Monday’s” as possible! Plus, when you’re busy, you don’t have time to brood over the zero’s currently on the board, or time to revel in last cycle’s successes.
My old tennis coach invented a word in 1990 to motivate our tennis team. I was a sophomore in high school and ranked #2 on our team. We had won our regional championship in west Texas for seven straight years, and we needed to stay focused. Coach made us t-shirts with the word JAMODI on them. He told us that he would tell us what it meant if and when we won regionals again. So we did it. Turns out…it’s Just A Matter Of Doing It!!! So JAMODI, get busy, stay active, and SELL MORE!!!
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