Don’t underestimate the power and importance of time off in sales.
I was on a call the other day with a client of mine who’s a great sales manager. He told me, “Colleen, the frustration is real. I had a sales rep in my office and he was incredibly frustrated and quite tired-looking. I told that rep the best thing you could do is to just go home right now. Go home and rest.” I then replied, “That was the best strategy and an example of world-class coaching and sales leadership.” He was kind of surprised to hear me say that because he was just going with his gut. He was not doing it on purpose and actually never said that to a sales rep before.
Salespeople and Customers: Both Tired and Frustrated
More importantly, this highlights a concerning trend I’ve noticed in the last year: salespeople are more frustrated and exhausted than ever before. We have so much coming at us—whether it is staffing shortages in our own companies and being asked to pick up the slack, supply chain issues, or pricing increases (some of my clients have had to go through six to eight price increases in a single year alone). And on the customer side, they are greatly impacted as well. They are also short-staffed, facing supply chain issues, tired, and frustrated. Salespeople are experiencing this ordeal from both ends.
Time Off in Sales: Why It’s Crucial
Many of you might be watching this video in real time during the summer. I’m going to urge you to take time off. It’s always shocking to me how little salespeople take their vacation. Now is the time to take it! If you argue with me and win that you can’t afford to take a whole week off, then perhaps take a day off, take every Friday off from now until your vacation is used, or take Thursday afternoons off. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to indeed take time off because we can’t listen, think on the fly, be energetic, build relationships, or be our best if we’re frustrated and exhausted.
I urge you to take some time off. Please! Make sure that you’re rested, relaxed, and healthy so that you can serve your customers well and finish the year strong.
