I’m sure you’ve read several 2017 resolution ideas for sales professionals by now. If not, watch out – you’ll be bombarded in the next couple of weeks. Even I have one coming to our blog next Friday. However, there is one idea that I bet you haven’t heard. It’s not really a resolution or goal, but a behavior. It doesn’t directly solve any problems or connect you to achieving any goals, but it will help cure two common weaknesses we sales professionals have. So, if you want to kill two birds with one stone and help increase your sales, keep reading…
Most of us are so busy running from task to task, fire to fire, and account to account that we lose sight of two things that could help us grow as professionals: creativity and energy.
Think about this scenario: It’s 3:30 in the afternoon, you’ve got to develop ideas for a proposal, and you’ve been in the field for six hours. You can easily knock out this proposal with your standard solution, but you have a great opportunity to provide a creative design to your client. However, that’s going to take some energy. You sit at your desk, staring at the computer … knowing what you should do, but also knowing that you can probably get away with the standard solution. You’re exhausted and the effects of that 1:30 coffee has worn off. What do you do?
Take a walk. That’s right, you need to pack running shoes everywhere you go and walk whenever you need to get creative. It’s more detailed than just walking around. Below are the steps to follow…
- Review the problem you must solve. Make sure it’s sunk completely into your thoughts.
- Get away from the office and walk for at least 15 minutes (25 – 35 is ideal). Walk as briskly as you can while maintaining comfort - this is not a time to push your physical limitations or generate a sweat.
- For the first 10 minutes, let your mind wander and relax. Daydream about vacation, relive the movie you watched last night, reminisce about high school … just go wherever your mind takes you.
- At 10 minutes, come back to your problem and start thinking about ideas. Your mind will drift dozens of times, but bring it back to your challenge. Don’t worry about coming up with the solution while you’re walking, but get the mind working in the right direction.
- Upon return to your desk, write down a time limit for your task. For example, if you return to your desk at 4:20 and want to give yourself an hour, write down 5:20 on a piece of paper next to you working space. You’ll be shocked how creative and productive you’ll become when giving yourself a defined amount of time to accomplish a task.
Even if you’re an active athlete or fitness nut, you should still get out of the office and follow this routine. This isn’t about improving your health; it’s about increasing your energy level and creativity when you need it.
