Salespeople are known to fear the loss of momentum that will come from taking a break. Frozen pipelines and missed sales targets are the things that nightmares are made of when you have a job that pays based on your performance and requires a consistent flow of new business.
So how does the salesperson cut a break?
Tips for taking the perfect vacation:
1. Set a Target Date, and Stick to It
Plan, schedule, and pay for trips at least six months in advance. It’s easy to back out if you haven’t made plans, but if you’ve already paid for that long-awaited trip, let’s face it—you’re going! Sales consultant Mike Brooks says that for salespeople, vacations are actually the key to maintaining a state of mind that helps salespeople succeed: energized, focused, rested, and motivated.
As for the work you leave behind, Brooks suggests asking your sales manager, VP of sales, or assistant to handle your business while you’re out of town. Trust that they can manage without you, and remember that your work will be there when you return.
2. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare
“Your job is to prepare your pipeline in advance of the holiday, so one day after the holiday, you are full of meetings and full of activity that is directly related to your sales and your success,” writes Mike Ginsberg, CEO of consulting firm Kaulkin Ginsberg. “This way, when you do go away, you’ll feel great about leaving and great about coming home!”
3. Make It Special
If it’s a family vacation, make the destination special for everyone. Get your spouse and your kids together and dream up the perfect spot for family fun. This will give everyone something to look forward to in the weeks and months leading up to the trip. Anticipation of something enjoyable can go a long way toward easing daily stress in the meantime.
4. Go Device Free
Leave the laptops, tablets, and smartphones behind, or at least locked in the hotel safe. Try your best not to work while you’re on vacation. In an ideal world family time should be family time, and a break should be a break.
If you absolutely can’t leave the office behind, however, limit your access to a brief, pre-planned period of time each day.
5. Take that Extra Day
If your vacation ends on a weekend, don’t return to work until Tuesday. Give yourself an extra day once you’re home to readjust, run errands, and get back in the swing of things. Otherwise that vacation will turn into a vague memory within 24 hours, and post-vacation stress will set in before you know it.
The bottom line: salespeople need time off, too. Sometimes the most efficient way to hit that monthly sales target is to tune out and get some rest…so you can hit the ground running when you get home.
Read the original article from MobileDay: https://mobileday.com/workplace-effectiveness/sales-effectiveness/how-to-take-a-vacation-and-still-hit-your-monthly-sales-target/
