It is the beginning of the month. Our sales leaders have had the obligatory meeting where they celebrate last months wins while simultaneously saying, "what have you done for me lately". And somewhere in the distance you can almost hear a starter pistol being fired and someone announcing...and they're off.
This is the groundhog day effect that sales professionals experience on the first of every month. Some months bring with them joy (because you either crushed your numbers or because deal that you sandbagged is about to really push you over the top this month), or anxiety because you missed your numbers (so your manager wants to spend "quality time with you"). Either way, this is the life we have chosen as Revenue Professionals. And as sure as the seasons change each year, this to happens each month.
The key to a healthy mental state (in my humble estimation) is to control your calendar and not let your calendar control you. Ride with me for a moment and this will make sense.
We are taught early-- if we are fortunate to have insightful leaders -- to schedule our time and remain disciplined to do what is on the calendar. Prospecting time is not to be interrupted. Meetings are to be attended. Blitzes are to be completed. All of these revenue generating actions (RGA) are respected and given priority on our calendars. When we follow the calendar -- as we have been taught -- wouldn't that be the calendar controlling us?
Actually it is the exact opposite. By us scheduling our time, planning our month and RGA, we are actually taking control of our time and not wasting it. If we allow the day, week, month, year to happen without giving it forethought time would escape us and nothing would get done. But when you look at the days, weeks, months, quarters, and years, and then plan accordingly, we maximize our time and not waste it.
I forget which manager taught me about the Golden Hours (the time where I can best reach my ideal prospects) and the importance of not wasting them. It amuses me how much sales lingo refers to mining the gold rush: prospecting, golden hours, but I digress. If in our prospecting the best time to find gold is at a certain time of day (need the daylight to reflect on the golden nuggets), it means we have to put in the work during daylight. I would also like to say the time itself is precious. This moment that you read this is now forever gone. You can't get it back or go back to redo it. So we should cherish the time and then make the most of it.
And I trust that the time you took to add these words to your psyche, prove valuable, enlightening, amusing, or inspiring. As a side benefit when you have this discipline and control, you will have peace of mind and the sales cycles will not impact you. You'll know your numbers. You will see early when you are off course, and you will know how to course correct. Preventing that anxiety at the end / 1st of the month. So, I said all that to say: Carpe Diem, which is latin for take control of your day, and get your money. At least that is what it sounds like to me.
If it makes sense...it'll make monsey.
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