Change

Very few people like to play a game with someone who changes the rules when they start losing. A company that alters its commission structure halfway through the year or a sales manager that increases the team’s target will just be viewed negatively as a cheat.

There are two types of change: Self-Imposed Change and Organization-Imposed Change.

Self-Imposed Change is the kind we commit to and work towards with a high level of self-motivation.

Organization-Imposed Change is the kind we have little to no say over.

Finding the “Why” and Keeping Curious

When we embark on self-imposed change, we know our “why,” and the stronger we believe in that “why,” the better it will serve us for motivation.

When a change happens at work, it is our job to find out “why” and then to remember that it doesn’t matter if we believe in it or not.

The more meaning you place on an organization-imposed change, the harder it will be to adapt.

It is not the strongest sales professional that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.  Unknown

What we need to be aware of is our level of resistance. If a change happens that conflicts with our internal values and we cannot reconcile, then it may be time to start looking elsewhere.

But if you choose to stay, a great way to lower your personal resistance to a change is to meet it with curiosity.

Keep Curious and Carry On – How could this change cause me to grow?

Change is happening at an alarming rate in many organizations. Your role is not to give them too much meaning and to remain curious when it happens.

If we don’t consistently plan and prioritize our day as sales professionals, we are tempted by a list of choices and supported only by a diminishing source of willpower.

Choices

Encountering a multitude of choices like “what to do next” can lead to distractions, such as working out of our email inbox or destructive habits like surfing the web and social media. These distractions masquerade as productivity, yet they just keep us busy. Limiting your activities and engaging in Deep Work will help you achieve more.

What are my essential sales activities? vs. What will I do to fill the rest of my day?

Time Blocking

Sales activity should satisfy one or all three of these criteria: Revenue. Growth. Impact.

Let’s begin with revenue. It is essential to ask does this activity drive revenue? Tasks like making follow-up sales calls fall into this category. Alternatively, you could consider will this activity make income, tasks such as writing a blog post or posting on social media.

When considering growth, your question should be will this activity grow my capabilities as a sales professional? Excellent options here are reading a sales book or attending a workshop.

Impact – consider the long-term effect of this activity?

Remember and implement the 80/20 Rule: 80% of results come from 20% of activities.

Achieving higher levels of productivity is a constant process of eliminating the tempting trivial choices that have little to no impact on our success.

When we are aware of our obstacles to productivity, we can meet them head-on, and they can provide a roadmap of new ideas to our desired outcome.

By Eric Papp

Time Management Speakers

Return To Blog