How to Manage Stress and Keep Your Career on Track

POST AN ARTICLE

Featured Sales Blogs

In Partnership Wth:

DiversityJobs.com

JustJobs.com

MAIN MENU

How to Manage Stress and Keep Your Career on Track

Written by John Boe

More Gravy
7 Tips For Staying Healthy At Your Next Sales Conference

By healthy I mean more that just physical. At these events your career, emotional and mental health are at stake as well. As I have matured in my life I am viewing these events very differently than I did when I was young. When I was young I viewed sales conferences as a big party and a chance to reunite with all the buddies made during previous events.

I wrote this article on my way back from San Antonio, Texas after attending my company’s annual sales conference. I decided that sinc Join The Nation of Sales Professionals e most of us attend some event like this for training, awards, meetings etc., it would be relevant to talk about how to stay healthy during these types of functions.

My first big conference occurred when I was with ARAMARK and we got to go to the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Our company put on an amazing conference for us and we were treated like royalty. I had a blast while hanging out with my buds as that is really all that I cared about. Back then I did not consider the impact and the ramifications of my actions. But it is important to understand that during these functions your actions could move you towards a promotion, bigger pay checks or, if you are not careful, end you up on the street.

7 Tips for Staying Healthy at Your Next Sales Event

1) Eat healthy: This can be a big challenge as these events tend to be continuous feedings. In San Antonio, for the first time ever, I pushed away from almost every dessert that came my way. I felt incredibly empowered by not giving into my sweet tooth and very proud of my accomplishment. I calculated that I turned down over 3,500 calories in desserts alone (this would have equated to a pound of weight gain.). Choose the healthiest foods at those mountainous buffets. Stick with fruits, vegetables and grilled chicken and shy away from the bacon, sausage and fried foods.

2) Exercise: Most every facility your company chooses will have an exercise room - use it! Exercise and healthy eating will keep you from nodding off during your seminars and allow you to get more from your sessions as you will be more alert and focused.

3) Get Enough Sleep: There will be a lot going on and you will be tempted to stay out late with old or new friends. Develop the self-discipline to go to bed early and get enough sleep. There is nothing more miserable than sitting in sessions when you are tired and worn out and trust me your misery will show. One trick I use is to agree with myself in advance the time I will be back in my room. By setting my target time before I go out, rather than leaving it open ended, I almost always keep that promise.

4) Stay Positive: Positive people exude energy which draws people to them. Many times while at an event you may find out bad news about compensation plan, competitor threat, or your companies weaknesses. It is natural to want to complain and whine in the presence of your peers. After all, you are in the same boat. However, no one wants to be around a whiner or someone who is always negative. In fact people try to get away from those who are always stuck on the downside. If you need to vent, find a safe place like a friend or spouse that is not at the conference and make sure your conversation cannot be overheard and misconstrued. If you have a positive bent no matter what comes your way your peers and managers will take note and it will help you towards promotion.

5) Drink in moderation: Alcohol is responsible for most of the major problems at sales conventions. Salespeople are a very thirsty group and often get themselves into trouble by drinking too much. Once you have had too much to drink, your judgment is clouded and you may lose control of your actions. It is also very important to take notice of your sales culture at your organization as well. The corporate culture at Aramark and Grainger was much rowdier in comparison to the culture in the health care industry and Kimberly-Clark. Behavior at the industrial companies that was acceptable would be considered highly offensive in health care.

{sidebar id=10 align=left}6) Network: When you are at a gathering of your peers the best of the best are in attendance and it is critical that you utilize these resources to invest in yourself. If you see a representative who is a top performer in an area where you are struggling, go up to them and introduce yourself and ask for pointers. Top Sales Professionals love the attention and like to brag so utilize this opportunity to find out how these top people are winning. Network with the managers or departments you would like to move towards in your career. If you have the opportunity to share your dreams and visions you may win the heart of a manager who will want to help you grow and succeed.

7) Learn: Make your trip worthwhile. Pay attention in the sessions. Sit up front so you won’t be distracted. Take notes. The things your company is trying to teach you will help you become more successful. Take it seriously. Even if you have been around for a long time you can still pick up something new. My rule is never pass up free training. Bonus Tip: Have fun!

Stay Fit – Sell More

Architects and structural engineers get paid big bucks to design buildings strong enough to withstand the damaging impact brought on by Mother Nature’s fury. Architects use building codes, blueprints and computer simulations to help them identify and mitigate stress-fatigue factors, which might contribute to the collapse of the building. Ironically, people, like buildings, are also susceptible to stress-fatigue factors and physical collapse brought on by the crippling affects derived from excessive fear, anxiety and worry.

Stress and Temperament Style
Research indicates that a person will react to stressful situations based upon the temperament style that he or she was born into. For example, aggressive people have “anger management”, expressive people have “emotional management”, passive people have “self-esteem management” and analytical people have “stress management.” In other words, people who tend to be extremely detailed, organized, critical and shy attract stress into their lives like metal shavings are drawn to a magnet.

The major behaviors associated with people under stress include; aloofness, increased sadness, panic attacks, overly sarcastic humor and extreme negative self-talk. Stress occurs when an analytical or “melancholy” type of person is overwhelmed by his or her attempts to balance their physical, financial, personal, spiritual and career interests. The long-term affects of prolonged stress are accumulative and can be physically and mentally damaging over time. Stress manifests in the body as TMJ / teeth grinding, tension headaches, neck / shoulder pain and lower back pain. Here are several practical ideas that you can use to help you dramatically reduce your stress level and live a much more productive life.

Stress Management Tips For Keeping Your Career on Track

   1. Get plenty of sleep.
   2. Eat balanced meals and avoid eating junk food.
   3. Drink plenty of water and avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine and other stimulants.
   4. Avoid drinking alcohol in excess.
   5. Learn to make decisions quickly and let go of the need to over-analyze everything.
   6. Express your feelings appropriately and don’t bottle up your emotions.
   7. Avoid trying for perfection and don’t sweat the small stuff.
   8. Maintain a positive mental attitude by utilizing affirmative “self-talk”.
   9. Stop worrying so much and look at situations more optimistically.
10. Smile and laugh frequently throughout the day, don’t take yourself so seriously.
11. Mix leisure with work: take breaks and get away when you can.
12. Make a point to spend quality time with your friends and family.
13. Become more tolerant…don’t be overly critical of yourself or others.
14. Always be kind and gentle with yourself.
15. Listen to upbeat music or watch your favorite movie.
16. Exercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times a week.
17. Set written goals, plan your time and prioritize your activates.
18. Keep a list of “things to do” and stay focused on short-term accomplishments.
19. Get a massage or take a warm bath.
20. Do something nice for someone else.

John Boe
		About the author:
		John Boe is an entertaining speaker with a powerful message and a passion to help salespeople reach their full potential. He has devoted the last two-decades to training and motivating high-performance, successful salespeople. His knowledge has been synthesized into one of the most powerful sales training programs ever created on the subject of peak-performance selling and personal achievement! .