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It’s Only Common Sense: 9 Ways to Beat The Summertime Blues

Have you ever had one of those workdays where you just can’t seem to get going and no matter how hard you try, you can’t get out of the “parking lot,” proverbially and literally? You might try calling some prospects, only to get their voicemail. Then you try some sales emails, but the words won’t come together. It’s summertime, you look out the window, and the temptation to call it a day and go play is almost too much to resist.

But you can’t do that. You’re a sales professional, and there is work to be done—customers to call and people to visit (soon, hopefully). What are you going to do? How can you lift yourself up from these old summertime blues? The most important thing is to find some inspiration or something that will spark your interest and get you focused and moving again.

Here are nine ways to fool your psyche and put yourself back into action.

1. Open a book that has inspired you in the past—maybe something about business or marketing—and find inspiration on the pages. This is very helpful for getting your mind re-focused.
2. Watch an inspirational TED Talk or something on YouTube related to your field. I recommend viewing a product introduction from Steve Jobs or anything featuring Tom Peters.
3. Call an old work friend—someone you have not talked to in years. See how they’re doing, reminisce about when you both started in your careers, and talk about where you are today.
4. Write down your goals for this year. If that’s too lofty, then write down some goals for this week. Another good exercise is to write down where you’d like to be five years from now, and then sketch out a plan for how you’d like to get there.
5. Call the people you know will take your call—preferably customers you are close enough to that you’ve become friends. You know they will take your call because they just like talking to you.
6. Work on something important, but not urgent. That might be a sales flyer or email. When you know it’s not due today, it takes the pressure off, and you can just enjoy the process. Something that brings on the feeling of lethargy is having too much to do. What you’re feeling, more than likely, is yourself weakening under the weight of all the things you must get done.
7. That’s why my next suggestion is to do something easy. When you feel as if there is too much to do, you’re spinning too many plates, and you’re afraid to take the first step, it’s usually because every time you take one step, you think of the 17 other things that need to be done and you just freeze. The secret? Just start. Go with something you can do without a great deal of time and effort. The bonus is getting to cross it off your list with ease. Then, move on to the next easiest task, the next, and the next; you get the idea.
8. Clean your desk. I find that clearing the mess on my desk is a great way to clear the mess in my head. I just read Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life by Marie Kondo and was inspired by her tips on how to declutter my workspace and get more productive. Please save me the protests about knowing where everything is and that you like working in clutter. A mess is a mess, no matter how you spin it. In the end, it contributes to your lack of “get up and go.”
9. Call a co-worker. I know it’s hard being on your own; it’s now one of the challenges of sales is being alone a lot—especially now when you can’t freely visit customers. But if you can call a co-worker, or even set up a Zoom call with several associates, it helps to check in and see how everyone is faring. I caution that these conversations should be productive rather than a gabfest. Set a theme and create a conversation about the situation of not being able to visit customers. Pick each other’s brains for solutions. Together, you can share ideas, formulate a plan to increase sales, and, in the end, help the company.
   
   And now, in the spirit of always under-promising and over-delivering, here is my 10^th way to beat the blahs:
10. Go for a walk. As a devoted walker, I can’t tell you the number of times I have set out on a walk, trying to figure out a problem. I am always amazed at how many times, by the end of my walk an hour later, I’ll have the solution to that problem. Try taking a walk. It works!

It’s only common sense.

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