The Dog Days of Sales

The “Dog Days of Summer” is a phrase we’re all used to hearing during the month of August.  They are the hottest, most uncomfortable part of the Northern summer, causing many people to be lazy, hazy and unfocused, leading to unproductivity.

There is a relatable analogy here with grinding out sales. Everyone has their days that they aren’t 100% percent laser focused. It just seems like during the months of July and August we can fall victim to that more often.

Between a family BBQ approaching that weekend and a week vacation you have planned at the beach right around the corner, it is easy to not keep your eyes on the prize.  As a software sales recruiter, I know progress made in these summer months for sales reps can be the difference between hitting your quota and cashing in on that $200k commission bonus or falling short of your quota and risk losing your job.

Here are some tips to help keep your focus on point:

Schedule distractions:
It is important to know that you control your distractions. In a world where there are texts waiting from your significant other, Facebook posts from friends, Donald Trump Twitter rants and NY Yankee score updates it is nearly impossible to block off these distractions completely. The best way to combat this is to schedule a time in the day where you catch up on all of this. Set 10-15 minutes aside and get it all done and move on to the important stuff.

Set goals:
Everyone has the habit of going right to their phone as soon as they hear it vibrate. Try to recalibrate your mindset of responding immediately to a text. Put your phone on silent and throw it in the drawer. Start at 15 minutes then go to 20 then eventually work up to 30 minutes (talk about mission impossible) of not checking your phone.

Do important work first:
This is something I myself need to work on. I love coming in the morning and browsing CNN or ESPN and slowing sipping on a nice hot cup of joe for a bit. Try to put this kind of stuff to the side as it drains your energy and diminishes your focus for those important calls and tasks. Think of yourself as a battery and you only have x amount of energy per day and everything you do drains your battery a little. It is better to get the tasks that require high concentration done first and stuff like deleting emails for later.

Don’t underestimate sleep:
We all could use a little extra sleep. It should be no surprise that a lack of concentration at work has a direct correlation with not getting enough sleep. You need energy to be successful in sales. Don’t let that extra episode of ‘House of Cards’ late at night adversely affect your presentation the next day.

So don’t let the dog days of summer get your sales down … We all deal with distractions. It boils down to how well you can manage them. The next time you’re daydreaming about that beach vacation that is 2 weeks away, concentrate instead on how you’re going to make the money to go on an even BETTER vacation next year!

-Mike