Selling is a tough job. In a typical day there is more rejection than reward so sometimes starting that day requires extra help.
This week TimeOut New York offered us advice and comic relief on getting the work day started as Lisa Freedman gathered comments in Washington Square Park, in the heart of sleep deprived Greenwich Village:
“Just take a cab to work and stick your head out the window on your way. It’s a little dangerous, but it works.”
John Chambers, 25, aspiring songwriter (pictured)
“You just have to suck it up. I tell myself to get over it and move on. That might have something to do with the fact that I’m a retired psychotherapist.”
Julie Tittlebaum, 67, store owner
“If you have rooftop access, stand on the ledge and look over. That will wake you up.”
Abraham Heller, 25, health-care researcher
“I listen to rap music or ’80s pop songs. Prince’s ‘Little Red Corvette’ is great and always has me pumped up by the time I get to work.”
RaineBo Thunder, 25, barista
“Splash hot water on your face. I like hot water instead of cold because it feels like a morning shower and gets me feeling like I’m fresh out of bed.”
Shabaya Clark, 29, demolition worker
“A good workout with stretching, push-ups and weight lifting for an hour is just as good as a cup of coffee.”
Hirokazu Sugiyama, 25, fashion merchandising student at FIT
“Eat foods with lots of sugar. I go for chocolate-chip cookies, Pop-Tarts, Devil Dogs or any kind of candy. Fruits—like grapes and apples—with natural sugars are good too.”
Jasmine Camara, 30, construction worker
“Pop a bunch of Altoids. I’d say somewhere between 3 and 30, depending on how tired you are.”
Isaac Gillespie, 25, singer/songwriter/TV producer
“I’d rather miss appointments. I’m the crankiest asshole in the morning if I’m tired. It’s better to sleep than to try to get through meetings. Make up an excuse.”
Ozzy Benn, 34, actor/Web designer/man-about-town
But seriously folks...
When anticipating a tough selling day I find the following helpful.
The day before:
Plan ahead on what I need to start with the next day before leaving my office.
Plan to get boring paper work done early (before 9 AM) before I get on the phone.
The morning of:
Making my first call of the day to a friendly client who I know well.
When I find I'm having a "slow" morning I stop. I think. I surf the web and take a few minutes to originate, find, or "borrow" one fo the following: a killer idea, an off the beaten track news item, a piece of deep inside gossip, new information on my client's company, or a blinding flash of insight that my client would pay money to hear. When I have something truly great to share with my clients it's like the phone dials itself.
