Are you exhausted? Studies have shown that your mental acuities while sleep-deprived are the same as when you’re well above the legal limit of intoxication. Yikes! So, this begs the question – what’s your sales mindset like?
Here’s the truth: If you’re trying to be the best sales professional you can be, you have to embrace the fact that your mental and physical well-being are just as essential as your cold calling or negotiation skills.
How do you renew your mental approach to your sales game and reintroduce fun to your job if you’re feeling burnt out? Sales improvement consultant Jeff Bajorek shares some secrets on an episode of the Inside INSIDE Sales podcast.
He’s an author and speaker, the host of About the Why and the Buy podcast and he even facilitates training and workshops. In other words, Jeff is the sales guy’s sales guy, and he’s going to teach you how to get your head in the game — without sacrificing your sanity.
Ready to improve your mindset and avoid burnout? Let’s go.
Say ‘yes’ to the three R’s
Your unused personal days have a beef with you, and honestly, rightfully so — they’re collecting dust instead of going toward a relaxing vacation.
And for what? The age-old excuses about why you can’t leave behind emails, phone calls and meetings; deals and building momentum; or money on the table?
The reality is your work isn’t going anywhere, so do what you need to succeed and take some time off.
I’m sure that sounds counterintuitive, but Jeff asks, “How much more creative are you when you’re in a place where you’re not distracted? How much more effective are you when your brain works right?”
Being your sharpest when it’s required means prioritizing the three R’s:
- Renewal
- Rest
- Recovery
Yes, you have a responsibility to generate leads and close deals, but you’re just as responsible for hitting the hard-reset button so you can ease back into things with the right mental approach to your sales game.
“You’re supposed to rest, you’re supposed to recharge,” reminds Jeff. “You’re supposed to understand that you do your best work when you’re in the right shape to do it.”
Look at it this way: Track and field athletes don’t run a full out seven-miler two days before the Conference Championships — they rest and recover because that’s a huge part of peaking.
You’re not you when you’re hungry not having fun
While you can condition your mind and body to tolerate working under more extreme circumstances, Jeff says you don’t have to sustain those tolerances for long periods of time.
How could you possibly enjoy your job if you’re always trying to be Super You? Rest is important because it gives you the space to have fun — a seriously undervalued component of getting your head in the game.
Take Jeff, for example, who decided to reduce his goals in 2020. GASP!
Instead of creating a foot-long to-do list, Jeff took a deep breath and re-evaluated. He decided to structure his big goals and acknowledged the value in not rushing to accomplish every little thing all the time (read: prioritization not procrastination).
“I’m more creative, I’m more insightful, I’m having more fun,” he affirms.
When you give yourself permission to have fun and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing, it’ll be that much easier to stay engaged and do your best work.
Push it to the limit (but establish it first!)
Part of prioritizing your mental health is accepting and acknowledging your limitations — you can’t do and be everything all the time.
What you can do, though, is start figuring out how to get more done efficiently.
The best thing you can do — establish limits. When you do that, “you give yourself a confined space to work within to be your very, very best,” says Jeff.
When you’re overwhelmed, circle back to this: What are you trying to do? Are you doing it as effectively as you’d like?
Consider the questions without comparing yourself to others. This is key! A surefire way to fail at understanding your limitations is by trying to “be someone else who’s reached the top of the pinnacle of that mountain,” Jeff says.
As you figure out your personal approach and what works for you, consider some workload balance options:
- If there’s too much to do to get everything done ➜ get some help (e.g. an assistant, producer, etc.)
- If you can’t delegate brand-building tasks ➜ do more of them and less of something else
- If you can’t cut anything because you have to hit targets ➜ set a goal that when you get to the next plateau, you’ll get rid of something
Give yourself the space to be the best you can be instead of having your brain, emotions and psyche clouded by responsibilities.
Get your mental game in gear. To sum it up, your approach to sales should be to take a break ✔ reset ✔ rethink ✔
