Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
I cleaned up my home office yesterday afternoon. It was deep cleaning that involved clearing bookcases and moving lots of files. It was one of those cleaning sessions that was easy to get distracted reading the inscriptions from authors on the inside covers, flipping through old course handouts and determining what to keep and what to throw out. It was important that I didn’t just spend the afternoon moving everything from one pile to the next. This was about clearing out the clutter and “stuff” I just don’t use or need anymore.
I chose to do this not-so-exciting task on a Sunday afternoon when I had plenty of time to be distracted. I had the football and hockey games on in the background. I kept walking up to the kitchen as the wife was making Christmas cookies for samples. I checked social media and even took a break to do a little round of meditation (Check out the Headspace app to get your mind clear for the new year).
Just like a driver doesn’t change the oil while rolling down the highway and a surgeon isn’t sharpening his scalpel during surgery, a salesperson shouldn’t be distracting themselves when they are focused on business development or business support activities.
Come into the office with a purpose. Dial the telephone with specific intent. Focus on setting appointments. Plan…prioritize…perform…then play. The time you should be worried about follow-up is not the time you should be thinking about cleaning up. Save that task until the end of the day or the weekend.
Stay focused on building relationships, solving problems and having fun and have no fear…the coast will soon be clear.