Get Moving!

When I was in college, I hated Sir Isaac Newton...

 

Why?

  

He was partially responsible for the 6 levels of Calculus I had to endure and not in the least connected with the delicious cookie! 

 

Later, when I "fell" into sales, I developed a new found respect for Sir Newton...

 

Why again you ask?

  

I was struggling to make a go of it and came across his 3 Laws of Motion.  It was just the kick in the pants I needed and it forever changed my mind about him (once again...my inner nerd!);

  

First Law of Motion: An object at rest will continue to be at rest unless behaved on

by an out of balance pressure.

 

Second Law of Motion: Acceleration is produced whenever a

force functions on a mass.

 

Third Law of Motion: For each and every action it has

an equivalent and opposite reaction.

 

What does this have to do with sales you ask...everything!

 

Sales is a motion business...it is kinetic and active...it requires energy.

 

Reviewing the first law, there are many sales people "at rest".  They are waiting for leads, a phone call, or something else magical to jumpstart their day.  They are hitting the snooze button for the third time because they don't have a plan for the day.  They are at rest.

 

The first law says that an out of balance pressure will cause movement...in some direction.

 

That pressure could be the past-due mortgage, missing quotas and being put on final warning by the sales manager...losing your job.

 

That pressure could also be in the form of an awakening...an epiphany...a "Eureka" moment (made famous by Archimedes...another favorite of mine!).  In a moment, you can realize that you are not living up to your full potential and decide to try again...this time with kinetic energy - energy in motion!

 

What can you do if you are "stuck" at rest?

 

Don't wait for calamity...using Newton's 1st Law create the right kind of pressure to encourage movement.  There are several things you can do to get a push off until the 2nd Law kicks in;

 

Learn - Getting deeper product or industry knowledge is always the forerunner to movement.  Crack open your continuing education manuals (yes, I said it!), go on the internet, or read an inspiring work.  Learning presents to your mind new options and those options provide inspiration...movement. 

 

Connect - There has to be some person or resource that you can leverage to get a start...even a small start.  It might be a manager or a high performer in your organization who is willing to teach you.  I did the paperwork for a top gun for 1 month in exchange for seeing him in action.  It was the spark of knowledge and inspiration I needed to get moving!

 

Get involved - Sales is an individual sport and as such has become one of isolation for a lot of us.  It is easier to remain at rest if you are not interacting with others in the profession.  Find a group to join or a sales person to fellowship with on a regular basis...by email, by phone or Skype.  Our profession is always in motion so connect to people who are moving!

 

Get Better - Being at rest is usually a sign that something is missing in your life. I am not playing counselor but talking to many sales people each month I find that most of what keeps them "at rest" is not even sales related...it is life.  The spouse, the kids, or something else that is not going as they hoped.  If there is an area that is dragging you down mentally you have to attack it and get better. 

 

The good news is, even if you just wiggle your little sales finger that is a sign of life...

motion

 

Get busy doing what you know to do to jump start your sales, break out of a funk, and live life on a higher level...

 

Get moving!

 

Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!