Coping with ups and downs of sales?

Does anyone have any advice for coping with the ups and downs with sales? I find it's a lot like playing tennis (except against yourself), some days I'm on fire, other days I'm completely useless. I don't understadn why one day I can do so well, seem confdent, authorative, decisive and the next seem the total opposite, and lose it all?:cu -sales_ace

Be very conscious of what you are doing on those days you are on top of your game. How do you wake up, prepare for meetings, etc. You are obviously doings things differently on different days.

The answers are there if you look inside yourself, you will find the answers.

Success in sales and anything else is doing things in a "certain way". -Jim Klein

I agree, Jim. -Skip Anderson

Get into a productive routine and keep your mind focused on what you're trying to achieve. Easier said than done. -Houston

How to take everything I do and have learned and apply it to every aspect of my life to cope better with the changing winds has been almost an obsession with me for decades. I wish I could say I've successfully coped well in every way for decades but I can't. But I have done fairly well at it and continue to improve.

I don't make a distinction between coping with ups and downs in my business and everything else in my life as I've concluded it all fits together and what skills and applications I've learned and practice.

I find that the daily hike I take in the morning reviewing my day's work, making positive statements about what I expect to accomplish, and thinking about more distant goals helps me get the day going on a very positive note. Some mornings I begin relaxed and energized, others with some degree of emotional discomfort, but using that time to reflect on these things diminishes the negative and magnifies the positive.

As my work day begins I remind myself that what other people decide to do or not do doesn't have to produce extreme emotions in my response. I also remind myself that remaining in a calm and balanced state is good for everyone. When I become energized and animated there's still usually a strong balance and focus of stability in that state. It's a learned behavior and one I keep working on to improve and not unlearn.

I spend an hour or more daily in self improvement reading, listening, and watching things which I feel I can use to improve myself. I am never not in a learning mode of attentiveness.

I also exercise in the evening doing Asian and other stretches, and I review what I'm going to do the next day. I end the day relaxed and ready for the next.

I'm at my best with eight hours of sleep nightly, I consume the nutrition I sell as it is the most complete I've ever found and it energized me and keeps my immune system strong and healthy. I also eat a fairly healthy diet.

I believe that all of those things combined work together to produce calmness and the ability to meet immediate challenges at my best. I have less productive and more productive days, days of little accomplishment, and some days challenges I would rather not deal with come at me. I treat those - call them the downs - as calls to use everything I've ever learned to improve the situation for everyone involved. So I do my best.

Win or lose, sell or lose the sale, I treat each day as ultimately an up day for many other reasons, and I continue to remind myself not to buy into my own negative thinking, cynical or skeptical moods, or perceptions that diminish and disparage what I want to enjoy, appreciate, and love which is my life and everything that is an important part of it.

There's a long answer but it's mine and what I do my best to keep in mind and work at.

MitchM -MitchM

That is great...a hike a day is a great way to help yourself center. It is important to spend time clearing your head and preparing for the turmoil of the day. We so often deal with stuff in this business. The truth is having a bad day happens to us all. There is no way to ever guarentee it wont happen again...however maybe jotting down your changes in emotions, what was said, or what happened at that time, and possibly highlighting the important stuff will help you remember throughout the week.

It will give you a chance to look back and learn from your reactions in the different situations. Just my two cents! Good Luck

Smiles,
Lisa -lrobertson

"It is important to spend time clearing your head and preparing for the turmoil of the day. We so often deal with stuff in this business. The truth is having a bad day happens to us all. There is no way to ever guarentee it wont happen again...however maybe jotting down your changes in emotions, what was said, or what happened at that time, and possibly highlighting the important stuff will help you remember throughout the week." -- Lisa

That's it! You deal with it and don'g igonre it or pretend these emotions aren't real.

I love what our CEO says is that: "I've got my problems but they don't have me." because it's honest. It's a cliche but rings true and you want to live like that.

The best to you.

MitchM -MitchM

I agree, keep a journal or something of what your good days are like. Buy understand that sales is a lot like the days of your life, and you will always have good and bad days -JulieR

I think that there are some things we can do to reduce the ups and downs of sales. For me, I know it is a mental issue that I am trying to correct. If I have a great month, it is immediately followed by a sub-par month. And I know my performance is different, not just the industry, although that varies as well. I have started to keep a journal so I can see what attitudes I have, what activities I do, and what my results are. I have started it only a few weeks ago, so it will probably take a while to see some trends and how I get my results on a steady upswing instead of peaks and valleys. Hopefully it works!

I like the idea of starting your day focusing on goals, both short term and long term. -FocusedEdge

I follow a strict structure of procedures... to counter slow/quiet days, I've been setting appointments and call backs down. May not work everytime but I've got a better chance of being consistent then being up and down. -MrCharisma