Increase Your Sales with Non Sales Activities – Really!

Our CEO and ELAvate sales blog writer, Michael J Griffin, caught Covid this week. Wish him a speedy recovery! Here is one of our “classic” sales blogs that you may enjoy reading to increase your sales motivation by doing non sales activities. Enjoy!

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By Michael J Griffin

Over your career you may find you are in a sales slump or even experiencing sales burnout. I have been in a few short slumps over my long career in sales. They have been short because, I believe, of the “non sales” activities I engage in on a regular basis to keep me “sales healthy.”

Sales burnout has many of its root causes in your thinking and attitude. As my favorite sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer says, “You become what you think about all day.” Your thinking determines your attitude and attitude determines the choices and behaviors you make throughout your day to do your job, sell, and how you build relationships in your life. Your thinking and attitude may be funneling you to burnout. So let’s look at some choices you can make to be a more positive sales person.

Just as maintaining or enhancing your good physical health is best done on a preventive, proactive basis, so are the ideas found here to prevent sales burnout.

Wake up Thinking What?

When you first wake up in the morning, what are you thinking? Positive or negative thoughts? Does it seem like a fire alarm goes off in your head, or, is there a positive calm of looking forward to a new day in your life? Idea: When you wake up, be grateful. Think of people or things you can thank God or your higher power for. Stop, don’t grab the cell phone and check your messages, but be grateful for the people and blessings in your life.

Go for an Early Morning Win – Get up Early & Exercise

Positive people are always enjoying the wins they have in their lives. I always try to start my day after getting out of bed with a solid win for my life. I am grateful I have an athletic wife named Joyce who is my early morning motivator to get me out of bed to go for a road bike ride. During my cycle at 500am, I have time to think, relax, and enjoy the fresh air. Usually I cycle 30-60 kilometres 3-5 times a week. When I return home, I have a positive win to start my day. High blood pressure runs in our family. My positive thinking, gratefulness and exercise keep me at a healthy 110/68....for a 62 year old boy.

Kiss Your Spouse or Partner Good Morning
Hug Your Kids when They Get up

Simple but effective, positive actions that show you care and are cared for. Go out the door knowing you are loved. Very positive! Research shows those who kiss their spouse in the morning live 5 years longer.

Eat a Healthy Breakfast – Take a Multi Vitamin

Sales is an endurance job. A good healthy breakfast with a multi vitamin before you get to the office is crucial. Small daily drags on your sales fitness because of poor morning nutrition can build up and be the spark of a longer sales burnout.

Meditate or Pray

Numerous studies show that a daily meditation or time of prayer is a daily and long term stress reducer. You may want to start with 5- 10 minutes in the morning. You can do this laying down or sitting up in a quiet room at home, or find a quiet parking spot on the way to work, where you can pull over and spend this time quieting your soul and energizing your spirit for the successful day ahead.

Have an Attitude of Positive Intent

People cannot read your intent unless your behavior and communication signals positive intent. You also cannot always discern what is the intent of others. Tendencies can be to judge intent before exploring it with respectful dialogue. By not assuming negative intent, you lighten the load on your own outlook on life to be in a better frame of mind to develop positive relationships around you. Think about this : Even an indifferent customer in his own mind thinks he is being positive!

Affirm Others....Daily

As I have interacted and observed my mentors, I noticed that they were not “recognition misers.” Dr. John C. Maxwell has made a huge impact on people including me on how and how often he affirms or recognizes others for their significance. I have made it a daily practice to affirm or recognize at least 3 people every day in my life. This affirmation though, is not “Good Job” or “You’re a Great Guy” but affirmation that offers proof on their attitude or behavior and how it positively impacted my team or me.

Watch the Fuse

Many sales people move fast and are quick thinkers. These personality types, because of their quick draw brains, many times also have a short fuse. Anger can well up and you may find your mouth moves before your brain. Learn to slow down in stressful situations, ask a few exploring question before jumping! Better yet, take a break, a time out, especially when you want to send that email message or text to vent.

Relaxing Reading before Bed

I recently read a blog by Verne Harnish that referenced research that states "Just six minutes of reading is enough to reduce stress by 68%, and numerous studies have shown that reading keeps your brain functioning effectively as you age. One study even found that elderly individuals who read regularly are 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer's than their peers." This is really good news for older sales people like me who don’t want to forget important facts in front of their younger clients! Ho Ho! So read relaxing stuff before you sleep.

Leave the Cell Phone Outside the Bedroom

Our human brains are wired for curiosity and relationships. This is why checking the phone is sooooo delectable. But it can also interfere with a good night’s sleep. Leave the cell phone outside of your bedroom so you can sleep well, get up rested, be able to exercise and run the sales endurance race the next day. And guess what, when you are rested, you are more positive.

Take Time for Your Kids

“I’ll make my money now selling and working, so when my kids are teens I can hang out with them.” What a case of self deception! Make sure no matter how demanding your sales job, that you carve out plenty of time for your kids (and spouse). Interacting and playing with your kids is so enjoyable and rewarding. A true tonic to prevent burnout. Remember your kids, not you, determine the quality time they get from you. Without quantity, there is no quality. Nobody on their deathbed has said “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” Or better yet “I wish I had spent more time with my customers!”

Volunteer for a Cause

One of the best ways to get out of your “sales box” is to regularly volunteer for an organization or charity that aligns with your heart. It is not only a very positive stress or burnout preventer but also gets you thinking out of the box and will feed your mind and attitude with new ideas, new thoughts and a fresh perspective on life.

Take ALL Your Holidays or Vacation Time

This is a no brainer but many sales people think that when they go on holiday that the world will collapse without them. Planning the holiday can be a motivator, taking the holiday can be a recharger, and coming back to work with a better attitude may be the effect. Think about it....when and where are you taking you next relaxing, refreshing holiday?

Practice these non sales activities and observe how your positive attitude grows to grow your sales success. Take advantage of a few of these ideas and start today leading a more positive significant life in sales. Have a great week!

Michael J Griffin
CEO & Founder ELAvate
Global Sales Productivity Coach
Maxwell Leadership Founding Member