Artificial Intelligence

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. -
Benjamin Disraeli
ManI have been in a real funk lately. Unmotivated, unclear on my goals and overall, just down. As most Sales Professionals know, this just creates a downward spiral. You know the drill. You have a bad month and pretty soon you have convinced yourself that you are the worlds worst sales person. You go from the mountain top to the gutter in a matter of weeks, or even days. There are times you get so low that you start to convince yourself that you are in the wrong profession.

If you are truly a Sales Professional, you probably expect quite a bit from yourself. This can be a blessing and a curse. It can push to new heights, or you can be very good at beating yourself down to new lows. Here are some things that I have found bring me out of my sales funk.

Positive self talk

You are having a conversation with yourself all day long. It goes on inside your head. You are not crazy. This is normal. The beautiful thing is that you have the power to control this conversation. It does take a concerted effort. What happens in our down times, in our funk, is that we begin to focus on the negative. Our internal conversations with ourselves contain predominantly negative words and/or phrases. STOP IT! Begin to have positive conversation with your self.

Star with gratitude. Take 10 minutes and in your head, or better yet out loud, begin to go through all of the things you are thankful for. Start with the fact that you even have a job! Move on to your family, friends, whatever it takes to get you in a truly thankful mood. From this point on, dont allow yourself to have negative self talk. Tell your self Im the best! or Im a top producing sales professional. If you dont have a list of positive affirmations written down that you can kick start your positive thought flow again, do that right now. Keep these on your palm or in your planner where they are readily available. If you find yourself getting into a negative thought flow, go through these. Youll be surprised how things on the outside turn around as soon as you turn around things on the inside.

Go over your written goals

You have them, right? Your list of written goals. Take them out and go over them. You should be doing this on a daily or every other day basis anyway. I usually find that when Im feeling funky, I am not on track with my goals and objectives. You will find that the renewed focus on your goals will get you back on track and working towards them. This will inherently get you out of the downward spiral you are in.

If you dont have written goals, I would suggest visiting The Ultimate Goals Program and going through this fantastic program and defining your values, goals and objectives.

Get back to basics

Get on the phone. Get in your car. Do some prospecting. Fill the funnel. I guarantee that activity will get you out of the funk you are in. It will also contribute to your bottom line. You will also want to visit www.SalesMotivation.net (unabashed self endorsement) to get refocused on your mission as a Sales Professional and to get some reminders that you are in the greatest profession there is!

Get focused physically

As driven professionals, we often work hard, work late and work long. The other side to that coin is that we tend to play as hard as we work! This sounds all hard core and driven, but it will lead to your body wearing down. When your body wears down, it effects all of your activities both mental and physical. It is all tied together. Take some time off. Take a mental break. Spend time with your family and just get some rest. You will be surprised at how much more productive you become after giving yourself a short break.

Conclusions

Dont be mistaken. The funk will come. You need to face it like any other challenge in your career. Head on. Recognize it, deal with it, learn from the experience and move on. Like any other challenge, there are lessons to be learned. If you can take something away from it, you can make it a positive experience.

About the Author

http://www.Salesmotivation.net was launched to fill the need for no cost, quality training and motivational material for Sales Professionals of all levels. Our goal is to train you, equip you, challenge and motivate you.

I have been a top producing Sales Professional for over 17 years. I have sold for large corporations and small start up companies. I believe that Sales is one of the most challenging yet rewarding fields an individual can choose. You have the ability to create your own destiny and determine your level of success. I take my profession very seriously, but have a great deal of fun achieving my goals. My wish is for you to do the same.

We are always hear to help and I am available to speak at Sales meetings and conferences. No cheesy pictures, no pumped up resumes. My presentations are packed with tons of humor and mountains of information and practical tools your sales staff can use right away. Please email me at gary@salesmotivation.net for more information.