Colleen Has a Screw Loose!

Day 3 of our bike trip was designed to be a rest day. We were going to hike, stay of the bikes and enjoy some rare non-riding time on our trip. Well that was the plan….

That morning we went out to do a bike check, something I had not done in a few days considering we were always in a rush to get our luggage loaded and hit the road. As luck would have it, we noticed my bike had lost 3 of the 4 screws required to support my backrest which supports my luggage. 1 more screw gone and it would have been bye-bye luggage on the highway somewhere in New York!

So much for our day of rest. Instead we spent the day riding through the backwoods of the Catskills looking for a screw that would fit the Harley part. Not easy. Harley makes a lot of money by using proprietary shapes and sizes on their bike parts. We got lucky, found something that would work, fixed the bike, and sat down to relax with a beer – it was 4pm. That’s the picture above….No time for a hike.

The lesson? Thank goodness we had scheduled in a rest day. Had we not had a chance to relax and look at the bike differently that morning we may not have ever noticed the problem, and I could have had a serious problem on the highway the next day.

In sales, how often do you rest? I mean really take a break from what you are doing, taking your mind off your customers, prospects and the office? Rest is integral to success. Most people think they have to take a holiday to rest. That’s not true at all. Of course a vacation is nice, but you can’t take one every week!

You can also rest by doing simple things in your day, or week. If you find you are having trouble solving a difficult problem, or you can’t find a creative solution to a client demand, take a walk, go to the gym, sit on your couch with your feet up, read a novel, or wlak the dog. Once you are in a different environment, or moving with a different intent than your usual, you will find that the ideas flow.

Make a point of resting, changing pace and taking your mind off sales. You will find that it leads to higher profits.