Ordinarily, this is advice better suited for June when planned vacations are appearing on the summer horizon, but these days, as my friend Jim pointed out, every day is Saturday and as such all bets are off, so…
We all need time off. Although many of us, myself included, operate well—and perhaps best—in a chaotic environment, pulling the train into the station and jumping off helps reset stress levels and remind us of what we were like prior to a career in sales. You know, like normal people.
But while vacation time is an employee benefit for some, it could be argued time off is a penalty for salespeople. Normal folks work for a salary. We are paid according to our success. It’s hard to make money while sitting on a beach chair reading the latest John Grisham thriller. I remember when I first started working for the Titanic Trade Association, I was told I had three weeks vacation in two weeks worth of personal days. Five weeks? Seriously? What the hell am I going to do with five weeks off? That was more vacation time than I had taken in the previous 15 years!
Still, it’s important to get away to calm down. At the same time, you want to be able to get back in the saddle quickly on the other end so that you can increase your sales levels back to where they were when you left. Here’s how…
Make three lists:
- The first list is called, “Before you go.” Here, you list all of the actions and activities that need to get accomplished prior to walking out the door.
- The second list is called, “While I’m away.” This is a list of anything your CSR (or whomever is covering for you while you’re gone) needs to know.
- The third list is called, “Upon return.” You’ll never guess what that list is for.
Just like my sales tip, “Never leave today without having tomorrow plan” allows you to shut down for the evening and be present to your family, following this vacation protocol gives you a chance to take a break and not spend your time thinking over all the things that need to get done.
Done right, you can get the rest you need and get back to the job you love quickly and efficiently…just like normal people.
