Eating Dirt, part II
GROWTH TIPS: This is It! Make no mistake about It… Iowa, Here I Come!
[If you have no idea what “It” is, check out my last blog ‘Tip’ or Ragbrai bike tour link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut_rJfDoOa8]
In answer to readers’ questions, below are my thoughts to create your selling or training plan. Thanks for your interest and support!
EFFECTIVENESS In sales and sports it is 100% possible to become more efficient. My regular bike training ride time went from 3 to 2.4 hours. How?? After the first outing, I did the following: Rode the route in the correct direction, didn’t get lost (as often), had more second time-around familiarity, experienced fewer distractions, applied better skills, made faster course corrections (make them!), and took a short-cut at the home stretch. Recall my last installment's inspirational note: "Got Vacation’?"
OVERCOMING Philosophy: When you’re out riding on the road, all answers to yesterday’s challenges come together. Sitting at your computer, figuring out what to do next, is like a watched pot… Stay in motion, go make a call or get out and exercise, instead. Get Boiling!!
PERSISTENCE If you feel like this year is a tougher selling climate than past years, just recall a physical challenge you’ve faced down. My bike ride took place in July. When I couldn’t get motivated to ride hard in April, May or June, I thought of a friend who rode 90 miles from 7am-6pm, 50 miles in snowfall, uphill to 12,000 ft. Visualizing his pain was my instant motivator. (Tip: Sales managers beware if ALL you’re hearing is complaints.)
BREAKDOWNS If you've ever had a bicycle chain drop off your crankset, you know stuff happens out in the hinterlands. Selling is similar. You must count on it. ‘Nuff said. Same advice for my kid who was once studying abroad in the summer months: “Everything is fixable. If at first you don’t see a relevant way, choose a fresh mindset, then go back and make good. It’s okay to say, ‘Can we try out this idea, instead?’ Then, start again.”
BEST PRACTICE Classroom sales training mirrors gym conditioning, just like field selling does road riding. There’s a time and place for each; they support one another, too. For over 15 years, performance consulting has been my profession, while indoor cycling instruction (Spinning) is my avocation of choice. Coincidence?? I feel privileged to do work I love with Leader Trends!
When you're not busy pedaling into headwinds, try reading Spark: Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. It's a book that proves links between riding and selling and succeeding.
“Forget fish oil and Sudoku - it's exercise that makes you brainier... Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.” - from book, Spark
Good reading, riding and closing business!
