Sometimes it’s just dark. No amount of positive thinking, happy place tripping, or getting a drink with your bestie is gonna pull you out of these dregs. Maybe you just lost an account, or your favorite co-worker just gave her notice, or your boss just reamed you because your numbers are off 12 percent from last year.
It is just sucking for you right now.
I feel you. I hear you. I totally get you. And friend, sometimes there is just not a damn thing in the world to be done. So.
1. You ride it out. You know the dark times will not last forever. Like Elizabeth Taylor and husbands, another great customer WILL come along (because you have so many awesome prospects in your pipeline right now. RIGHT? RIGHT?) You will find another awesome CSR and your numbers will rebound.
2. You learn something. Why did the customer jump ship? Why did the CSR leave? You cannot overanalyze these questions too much. If it was a significant piece of business, I would even advocate getting a group of people together to talk it over and figure out what happened, what fault lay with you and your company, and how you can hoist that jambox over your shoulder, pop in some Peter Gabriel, and go get them back damn it.
3. You re-focus. You clear the slate and you forget about the darkness, and you start all over again. If there is ANYTHING about how you do things that you want to change, now is the time. Quit meddling around on social media. Commit to your work. Limit non-work socializing and work your ass off for the next 90 days. It’s boot camp time. It’s "you’ve got a fight with Ivan Drago time."
4. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, look yourself in the mirror, quit feeling sorry for yourself and move on. Time to start kicking ass again, rock star. Even Abraham Lincoln had some sucky days, and look at all he accomplished.
5. GO!
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.