How Do I Cure Procrastination – One Easy Tip
Notes
How Do I Cure Procrastination?
In this episode of The Slow Pitch Sales Podcast, we delve into the persistent challenge of procrastination and its impact on sales efficiency and success. We were asked, “How do I cure my procrastination?” So we put this episode together to offer practical strategies and insights for sales professionals who are looking to conquer procrastination and enhance their selling abilities.
Understanding Procrastination in Sales
Procrastination, the act of delaying or postponing tasks, is a common hurdle in the sales process. Procrastination can cause so many problems for a salesperson and can stem from several factors such as fear of rejection, feeling overwhelmed by complex tasks, or simply the human tendency to avoid difficult work. However, in sales, procrastination is not just about delaying tasks; it’s about postponing success, growth, and opportunities.
Practical Steps to Beat Procrastination
Rob introduces a novel approach to tackling procrastination by encouraging listeners to confront their most dreaded tasks head-on. He suggests identifying a single task that has been persistently ignored and writing it on a piece of paper or a 3×5 card. Listeners are urged to carry this reminder with them until the task is completed. This physical representation serves as a constant nudge towards action, transforming procrastination into productivity because of the constant drag if creates in your daily life. Furthermore, it is a physical representation of money being actively lost.
The Impact of Overcoming Procrastination on Sales
Addressing procrastination is crucial for sales professionals. Unattended tasks can accumulate, leading to missed opportunities and hindering potential sales. By embracing the strategies, sales professionals can ensure that no lead is neglected, no follow-up is delayed, and every potential sale is pursued with vigor. This proactive approach not only boosts sales but also enhances the salesperson’s confidence and work satisfaction.
Real-life Success Stories
Rob also shares a compelling story from his own experience. The anecdote highlights how tackling procrastination not only led him to immediate sales success but also an improved long-term relationship with an existing client.
Why This Episode Is a Must-Listen for Sales Professionals
- Actionable Strategies: Unlike generic advice, this episode provides tangible steps that can be immediately implemented to combat procrastination.
- Enhanced Sales Performance: Learn how overcoming procrastination can lead to improved sales outcomes, increased productivity, and higher motivation.
- Personal and Professional Growth: Discover how addressing procrastination transcends professional boundaries, fostering personal development and stronger interpersonal relationships.
Don’t let procrastination hold back your sales potential. Listen to this insightful episode of The Slow Pitch Sales Podcast and embark on a journey towards heightened productivity and sales excellence. Share this episode with peers who might benefit from its lessons, and remember, overcoming procrastination is not just about completing tasks; it’s about unlocking your full potential in sales and life.
Connect with Us
Have a question about sales or want to share your procrastination-conquering story? Reach out to us at Questions@TheSlowPitch.com or call/text (608) 708-SLOW.
Keywords: Procrastination, Sales Strategies, Productivity Tips, Overcoming Procrastination, Sales Performance Improvement, Sales Motivation, Task Management, Sales Techniques, Personal Development, Efficiency in Sales, Sales Success, Sales Podcast, Actionable Sales Advice, Time Management in Sales, Sales Professional Development, Sales Goals Achievement, Beating Procrastination, Sales Process Optimization, The Slow Pitch Sales Podcast
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Related Resources:
Mastering Time Mapping: The Secret Key to Increase Sales
Start Journaling To Jumpstart Your Selling (3 Simple Things to Do)
Boise State’s Suggestion to Stop Procrastination
Podcast Recorded on Squadcast.fm
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Music: "Clydesdale Funk" by Cast of Characters, written by: Dustin Ransom.
The Episode
Rob 00:08
Welcome back, everybody to The Slow Pitch and today we’re going to talk a little bit about procrastination. So if you’re like me, there’s probably something that you have been wanting to do for quite some time. And because it’s been on your task list, it just keeps showing up and it’s just irritating to you. But you never seem to get it done. Do you you know what I’m talking about? You know what it is, it’s on your list, you know, you see it today, we’re going to help you get that thing done. Let’s get started.
V/O 00:36
This is The Slow Pitch Podcast.
Rob 00:40
Alright, so what I want you to do is I want you to think about that one thing that you’ve been putting off, you know, the thing you go, I know I should be doing this. I just haven’t done it yet. It’s this thing that it’s just burning, burning me up a little bit here. I’m trying to get it done, but I just don’t seem to get to it.
Rob 00:56
Well, first of all, the question becomes, is it because it’s too complicated might be because it’s too complicated. That one thing could simply be that you needed to call somebody back that you needed to reach out to somebody that you needed to follow up with something that there was a question and you just never got back to it.
Rob 01:14
Whatever that thing is, I want you to think of that one item? How does that thing make you feel inside? Is it anger you? Is it really that important? Maybe it’s not even important, maybe you should just look at this thing and say, This is not even important, I should just delete it off my list, just get rid of it. It’s not gonna make any impact. If you look at that item and says it’s gonna make zero impact on my day, or on my future, or on my future sale, then get rid of it, do it right now. Just delete it. Doesn’t feel good?
Rob 01:42
You just deleted your item. Does that fix procrastination? No, it doesn’t fix procrastination. But but that’s how I want you to look at your list of things that you need to get done and thinking of in terms of like, are you getting another step closer to your sale by doing these tasks.
Rob 01:57
But let’s say that’s an item that you are, you know, this is gonna impact your sale, this is going to bring you money, you can’t just like not do it, you have to do this thing you just been putting it off, if that’s what this item is, here’s what I want you to do, it’s going to be probably difficult to find. But maybe you have a three by five card or let’s just some sort of a stiff piece of paper, something about the size of a three by five card. And what I want you to write down on that piece of paper on that on that card.
Rob 02:26
I want you to write down in the fewest words possible. But that you will no, this is what it is that item that you’ve been putting off. What is it that you know, I should have been doing that today? I didn’t get it done today. Or I know I didn’t get it done yesterday. What is that one item it, I used to do it all the time. And I have a hashtag so to speak, where I categorize things, most dreaded task, it’s the thing that I just don’t feel like doing and I want to do, but I know it’s going to impact my sale.
Rob 02:51
And I it just bothers me if it’s that item and it shows up on that list. And it’s been on there for more than a day, do this, get that three by five card, write it out fewest words possible, then write the date on today’s date, whenever you write this thing down, write today’s date.
Rob 03:06
Next, fold it in half, and fold it in half again, and then fold it in half. Again. Now this is really small, I want you to just right now put in your pocket. Now here’s the rule, you cannot take it out of your pocket and put it somewhere else. It has to be on your in your pocket on your body on your person.
Rob 03:24
From now, you are not allowed to take that out of your pocket and put it somewhere else other than on your person until you get this task done. And I want you to do this every time you have a task that you know you’re not getting done, do this. And after a while, you’re physically going to be dragging along with so many pieces of paper, right?
Rob 03:44
So what I want you to do when you have that piece of paper and you write on the list, your here’s what it is you write today’s date, put in your pocket, the only time you’re allowed to take it out of your pocket is when you sleep. Then once you get up in the morning, it goes back in your pocket and you carry it around with you all day long. And every time you put your hands in your pocket to get your keys, your wallet, anything else you’re gonna feel that piece of paper in there.
Rob 04:02
It’s gonna remind you Oh, I gotta get that done. Oh, I gotta get that done. Now, if you go for two weeks, and you still have the thing in your pocket, you’ve joked and kidded with yourself that this is an important item. This is not important to you. And you need to get that thing out of your pocket. I want you to throw it away, rip it up, shred it, don’t even look at it. Because as you thought that might give you sales and cash in your pocket.
Rob 04:24
The way you should look at that item is that’s cash in your pocket, but until it’s cash in your pocket, it’s just a piece of paper and until you get it done, you don’t get cash in your pocket. If you’ve gone two weeks, and you fast forward two weeks and it’s still in your pocket. You still have not gotten that thing done. shred it up, throw it away. Forget about it. It’s okay. It’s okay. You don’t need the cash that bad. That’s okay.
Rob 04:46
Let me share with you a quick story that’s related to this. I had a client that I wanted to sit down with and go through how have we done as a team to work with you and I had on my list, I wanted it to get it done. And I always I felt like I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to go and do that meeting, because I felt like something bad was going to happen. And instead of making my brain look at this as an opportunity, I kept thinking it was a bad thing.
Rob 05:15
So what I would do is I put it off, put it off, put it off. And finally I decided I need to put this thing on a piece of paper and put it in my pocket. I carried that thing around for two days. And on the second end of the second day, I literally just was like, I’m tired of carrying this thing around already. I can’t believe I haven’t done this. I don’t know what I’m doing here. Let me just reach out.
Rob 05:33
I literally picked up the phone and called the person and say, “Hey, can we schedule a time, I would like to go through a review with you to see how we’re doing for you. Would that be okay?” And when can we do that. And we scheduled it. And once you know that meeting, once I did that, that meeting turned into double the amount of business that we were getting from that client than we did before.
Rob 05:58
The reason that happened was because in that meeting, we were able to talk about the issues that were going on what things we could do to improve, they felt like our quality of work was so high, they knew we could execute on what we talked about. And we have and they were willing to up their game and what they were doing and letting us be a part of that it was a totally mind boggling situation opened my brain up… and that’s why I’m sharing this with you today.
Rob 06:27
Because you don’t know what that task is simple as that might be you know that there’s value in that task of doing it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be dragging you down all day. Always think of those types of nagging tasks, those most dreaded tasks you’re procrastinating on, I get it, but take the time, write it down in in two weeks. If you still haven’t done it, it’s not that important. It’s okay to throw it away.
Rob 06:48
All right, well, I hope that helped. And you know what, if this helped you, it probably would help somebody else. If you found this to be helpful. hit the share button and just share it with somebody else that you know, they may find this one little thing help them make the sale because they get the task done sooner.
Rob 07:03
And you know what this works with things outside of sales. This works with things that you know, your wife or your husband has told you, you need to get done. Do the same thing. Because you know what? In the end, it’s an investment in your future in your relationship, right? It works in multiple different layers. If you found this to be helpful, share that with somebody because it’s going to impact their life probably just as much as it impacted mine.
Rob 07:24
Thanks for listening and until next time, slow down and close more.
V/O 07:27
Thank you for listening to The Slow Pitch. Do you have a question about sales? Call or text your question at (608) 708-SLOW. That’s (608) 708-7569. Or you can email them to Questions@TheSlowPitch.com. Slow Down and Close More.
Rob 08:18
Thanks as always, for listening today. If you’d like this podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review. We really appreciate it. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at The Slow Pitch. We were mixed today as always by Johnny Polakis. And we were produced by High Gravity Studios. Music credits and other notes are in the show notes section on TheSlowPitch.com And we’ll be back with another episode soon.