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It’s Only Common Sense: 5 Tips for Working From Home

With things being the way they are, we all need to be more intentional in what we do—especially those of us in sales. We’ve discussed how we are all hunkered down and can’t visit customers in person. We’ve also talked about what we can do in the meantime, such as:

• Communicate through emails
• Research and find potential customers on LinkedIn
• Use social media
• Contact former customers
• Send out frequent news flashes

These are all good suggestions, and I hope you are using them, but we need to do more. We must focus on getting through these hard times as intact as possible and be ready when this is over. Rest assured, this will end, but we also know that it will not be over in an instant; it will take time.

This virus swept around the globe in a wave before coming to a crest, it will leave in the same way, and it will take some time. We should not be overwhelmed by premature optimism; instead, as we discussed last week, we need to be prepared and plan right now to return to life the way it used to be.

Certainly, we’ll be talking about that in the next few weeks. Today, however, I’d like to talk about what you can do right now, as you read this, to not only be more effective in your business responsibilities but also to stay cool, calm, collected, and—most of all—sane during these unusual and difficult times.

This is for all of you salespeople who are hunkered down in your homes, trying to get through this. Most people in sales (most, but not all) are gregarious, outgoing people. Most of us are people-persons who love communicating with our peers, customers, and just about anyone we meet. This means we are especially affected by this lockdown that we are going through now. I get it.

I have heard from some salespeople who don’t know how to work from home. You know how to operate effectively on the road and work out of your car, but you don’t know how to deal with being locked in your house for an indefinite length of time. For the sake of your sanity (and your family’s), here are five tips for working from home.

1. Set up a Home Office

If you don’t already have one, set one up. Create a space in your home where you can work comfortably. If you are lucky enough to have a room with a door you can shut, all the better. If not, then find a quiet space in which to set yourself up.

2. Set up Your Desk/Communication Station

Make sure you have a phone and a computer and that they work well for conference calls because you are going to use them a lot in the next few weeks.

3. Keep to a Schedule

This is critical! Pretend that it is a normal day and that you are getting in your car and going to work. The only difference is that you are not getting in your car, and the commute is much shorter. Here are a few hints for your at-home business day:

• Get up at the same time you would normally get up to go to work.
• Shower and dress like you would be going to work (nobody looks or feels professional hanging around in their pajamas!).
• Plan your day. In fact, it is a better idea to plan your week, breaking the week down by days and then days by the hour. The most important thing you should do when you stop working every day is to make a list of the things you want to get done the following day.
• Set your goals for the day and do all that you can to accomplish them. There is nothing more satisfying than making a written list of things of what you want to accomplish during your workday, and then crossing those items off as you complete them.
• Set up your day in blocks of time. Allot a set time for emails, phone calls, writing reports, conducting research, and—most importantly—calling customers and making cold calls. I know some people (successful salespeople, by the way) who set a goal of talking live to five potential customers a day and will not quit until they do just that; no matter how many calls or voicemails it takes, they only stop for the day when they have made those five live calls. In short, don’t quit for the day until you have competed your list of things that you wanted to accomplish.

4. Develop a Daily Routine and Stick to It

If you don’t have a routine with a schedule and a to-do list, you will get lost in the quagmire of what I call a “day without corners,” where you just meander all day long with no set times or goals, and in the end, have no sense of accomplishment. You know what I’m talking about. You see recently retired people walking around in a daze with no sense of direction now that they don’t have an office to go to. Don’t let that be you. Put some “corners” in your day, and you will not only be more effective but more contented and satisfied as well.

5. Protect Your Psyche at All Costs

Turn off the news, for starters; we don’t need to hear it 24/7. Instead, take a walk or go on a run. Read that book you’ve been meaning to read. Watch television; there is great stuff out there to stream right now. Stop talking about the virus because you’re not an expert. Enjoy the time with your family. This is a special time; you are all together at home, having family meals. How often does that happen, and how often will it happen when this is over? Finally, keep busy and productive. This will keep you in the right frame of mind to be ready to face another day.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.