Purposeful Work: Find Your Purpose in Sales

I don’t know about you, but social distancing is starting to blend days and weekends together during COVID-19. It is getting much harder to feel motivated and make work feel purposeful.

This will be particularly challenging for those facing an anxiety monster while working in sales.

To combat this sluggish feeling, it will be important to reconnect with the greater purpose in your work if you wish to stay motivated.

To do this – start by asking yourself:

“Why do I typically show up to work?”

What tier do you fall into below?

Tier 1: I Show Up Primarily To Pay The Bills.

If your industry has been hit hard, your motivation to sell will likely be suffering the most right now.

Work is a means to an end for you and if it is no longer serving as a good “means” then your job is more likely to be perceived as losing purpose. This mindset is centered on YOU the individual. As a result you only have yourself to keep you accountable.

During times of uncertainty, it becomes very easy to give up and get distracted by other ways to make money outside your job.

Tier 2: I Show Up To Be Part Of A Great Work Culture And Company.

You’re probably feeling less motivated than usual as you adapt to losing that daily connection with your colleagues. Developing a strong Work From Home culture is hard, but unlike Tier 1 your motivation to be part of a team and great company will still exist.

Your fear of losing this bond and desire to help others on your team will keep work feeling purposeful. It also means there are more people around you to keep you accountable.

Tier 3: I Show Up For My Ego And A Sign of Status Or Prestige.

Being perceived as a failure by your peers, family, colleagues and network is not acceptable.

Ensuring you maintain the respect of others inside and outside your company is a powerful motivator to problem solve during these difficult times.

As the net of people who keep you accountable continues to grow so does your motivation.

Tier 4: I Show Up For Personal Growth And Moral Reasons (Purposeful Work).

Drastic change offers the greatest opportunity for personal growth. As the world continues to grapple with changes due to COVID-19, perceiving this as new challenge to grow can fuel motivation.

In addition to the growth opportunity in front of you, being morally connected to what you’re selling means you believe it is genuinely improving the lives of others.

Falling into this tier means your motivation is driven by the thousands of potential customers who need your help. Being empathetic to the pain they’re facing and intrinsic motivation to help them will make work purposeful and keep you deeply motivated.

Even on really low Mental Health days, it’s not my family, friends or significant other that motivate me to show up.

It’s the community.

It’s the the thousands of salespeople who I can feel struggling with their Mental Health and who are in need of help.

My core motivation for starting Sales Health Alliance – to empower salespeople to reach peak levels of performance and well-being through better Mental Health – has not changed.

Sure – how I go about achieving that and what I sell (In-person VS Online offerings) will need to change slightly, but where I draw energy from remains constant.

Online Course – Improve Sales Performance Through Better Mental Health

“My Job Is Not Purposeful. It Is Not A Tier 4 Sales Role.”

I can hear what you’re saying already…

“Jeff… you just got lucky and found your passion… It’s easy to be passionate about Mental Health… My product is different…”

Yes I agree – some products or services are easier than others to be passionate about. But you have a choice to make:

Succumb to that heavy, demotivated feeling that is making you sluggish and unhappy.

Or…

Push yourself to change your perspective and look for ways to find personal growth and ways to help the community you serve with your work.

A mindset shift that will make you feel happy and energized.

How Do I Make Work Purposeful And Get To Tier 4?

Here is simple exercise that can help you achieve a Tier 4 mindset. Start by making a list of all the work tasks you have to do within any given day:

Update CRM, make 50 dials, prospect new leads, have 1 on 1 with my manager, etc…

Now for each task on your list ask yourself why you are doing that task:

• Update CRM – So my manager doesn’t get upset. (Tier 2)
• Make 50 dials – So I don’t lose my job. (Tier 1)
• 1 on 1 with manager – So I can make talk about promotions. (Tier 3)

Now challenge each task on your list with a Tier 4 mindset to make work more purposeful.

Look for ways to perceive each task as an opportunity to grow or help the community you serve.

• Update CRM – So I stay organized and better help my clients achieve X.
• Make 50 dials – So I can help the people suffering from Y.
• 1 on 1 with manager – So I can learn areas I can improve and grow in Z.

This is not an easy task to do by yourself, especially if you’re already feeling a little demotivated, anxious or depressed so find a colleague to help you brainstorm.

Sales leaders – this would be a great exercise to do as a team. Aligning everyone on Why they should be putting their best foot forward, will help boost motivation and performance.

As always I’m here to help if you need it so feel free to connect with me on Linkedin.

I have recently launched an online course to help empower your sales team to reach peak levels of performance and well-being through better Mental Health. You can check it out by clicking the link below.

Stay safe and stay healthy.

Online Course – Improve Sales Performance Through Better Mental Health

About The Author

With a decade of sales experience, Jeff understands the importance of Mental Health in achieving peak sales performance.

Battling anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks throughout his sales career – Jeff has used his knowledge of Mental Health to inspire sales teams to reach their full potential through better Mental Health and well-being.

This became especially important, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer of 2018.

The same strategies involving – mindsets, perspective, self-awareness, empathy, self-control, mindfulness, optimism, grit and habits – that made him successful in sales also aided in his swift recovery.

As a successful individual contributor, sales leader and of late – sales mentor/consultant – Jeff has experience working with sales teams of any size at any stage of growth.

Jeff is the primary voice of the Sales Health Alliance and available for Speaking Engagements, Custom Tailored Workshops and One on One consulting projects.

Feel free to reach him at [email protected].