The One Sales Habit of Top Sellers

My husband and I made a big move a couple of years ago. We went from typical suburban cul-de-sac living with lots of neighbors, to a more rural setting with wide open space, more land, and only a couple of neighbors that we didn’t see very often.

While there was a lot to love about this new life, I found myself struggling too. I wasn’t my usual self. I finally figured out with the help of my coach that I was struggling with feeling like this was “my place,” and trying to reconfigure the basic routines that I had become so used to. One by one, the routines that I had (like where I shop, where I work out, who I spend time with, the route to the office), all had to be replaced with new routines to support this different environment.

This got me thinking about sales habits. You know what they say about habits: “You are what you continually do.” It makes sense that your habits – all those small daily thoughts and actions – have a big stake in your professional path and continued achievement in your role.

There’s one habit that I’ve seen in top sellers time and again. It’s the habit of their routines.

Top sellers create routines that give them the purpose and structure to make needed progress. Without routines, it’s easy to wander from task to task without purpose. Or sometimes our routines need to be tweaked because what worked in one environment no longer works in a new one.

This post shares two routines that have helped me create success, both in sales and in my life.

1. A set morning and end of workday routine. While no day is exactly the same, the one thing my days have in common is a set morning routine before the day begins. This might be for reading, writing, a workout, or quiet time. At the end of the day, I spend 15-20 minutes creating my priorities for the next day, and try to shut everything down until the next day. When I bookend my days like this, even while traveling, I save time and I’m much more focused.
2. Invest your first time block of the workday on a top priority that moves your business forward, and protect that time. This tip comes from productivity expert Kevin Kruse, who interviewed over 200 ultra-productive business leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, and students. My time blocks are usually 2 hours, and depending on what I need to get done, I might stretch that time block to 3-4 hours. When I accomplish this, I’m better able to stay in the right frame of mind for the entire day. On days where this doesn’t get done, I can feel my attitude dragging and it sometimes takes a lot of mental and emotional effort to restore it. This is also where planning your next day the night before can really make a difference in protecting your time blocks.

 What habits and routines contribute to your success?

This article is the last in a series on creating your sales leader identity. You can also read about a modern seller’s response for success, leading through your actions, how to look and sound like a seller, and personal brand.

If you want to learn more about sales strategies, including developing a growth mindset, you can download our ebook now.