Three Tricks for Avoiding Stress in Sales

Joe Weinlick
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Reducing stress in the workplace increases your productivity, and it can help you increase your sales. If you are able to stay organized, keep a detailed calendar and keep track of your earnings and goals, you can minimize and avoid stress.

Get Organized

Start your day by getting organized. Write down a list of tasks to complete, and then prioritize the list with the most important items at the top. Getting the most important and most stressful tasks out of the way first reduces anxiety and makes the rest of the day go better. Organize your email effectively so accounts and customers have their own folders and tabs. This makes it easier to find important conversations and information in your inbox. If your job involves a lot of paperwork, use folders, a filing cabinet or trays to avoid stress from clutter.

Separate work that is completed, work that needs to be finished and items that need to be sent to someone else in the office or mailed out. At the end of the day, create a list of work that didn't get done, or things that you need to do the next day so you don't forget about them. Organize your office before you leave to avoid stress in the morning.

Schedule Each Day

Schedule each day as you make your list of tasks to do so you avoid stress and don't waste time. Set aside one or two short periods during the day for answering emails and returning phone calls. For example, you might do this first thing in the morning and then again after lunch. Designate a specific amount of time to each account or customer. Working with a fixed time limit helps you stay on task, and switching projects throughout the day helps keep your mind fresh. Even schedule yourself a 10 minute break to walk around the office if needed.

Update your calendar daily to avoid missing appointments, conference calls or deadlines. You may want to schedule a specific time each day to follow up on new leads, utilize social media marketing or to reach out to potential new customers.

Set Goals and Keep Track of Earnings

Setting goals for each week, month or quarter helps you stay focused. Instead of just trying to do as much as you can without a plan, or having unreachable expectations, talk to managers or team leaders to determine where you should be. Use a spreadsheet to track your sales, including the amount you must sell to reach your goals, and to compare each week to determine trends. Setting goals in the future is easier when you know what you have done in the past. After a busy week, you may be surprised to see that you are actually on track with earnings, which allows you to avoid stress related to income.

If you keep track of your earnings and accounts, you can show managers your sales numbers and future plans at a moment's notice. Use these tactics to become more efficient and more successful, and to avoid stress.

 

Photo courtesy of Luigi Diamanti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

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