While there are a variety of career
options where emotions come into play, there are none more so than in sales.
You’ve heard the term emotional rollercoaster, well that is a phrase that
perfectly describes the life and times of a career salesperson. Managing
emotions can be difficult, but when done so, can separate the ‘A’ level
salesperson from the rest of the pack.
No one is bulletproof when it comes to
managing their emotions. Emotion in one’s personal life, like their career, can
be a heavy weight to bear, and sometimes creeps in and ends up on display. It
may be the death of a family member or the birth of a child. It could be
watching your hometown team make it to Game 7 of the World Series or it could
be the 9th defeat in a row for your beloved NFL team. It also could
be the loss of a client or the win of a new deal. Regardless of the event or
activity, sometimes emotions build up, and you simply let those emotions show.
I awoke rather early this morning,
feeling overwhelmed about my life this past week, having ridden a rollercoaster
of emotion from last Saturday through last night. I attended a funeral for an
old friend who was just 46 years old when he passed away a few days ago. I
received news that another friend and former colleague celebrated the birth of
her son. I worked closely with a long-time client that was more than a bit
upset with my firm over what amounted to be miscommunication. I identified a
great, new business opportunity through a partnership program. I received news
that a family member was diagnosed with breast cancer. And, I attended
parent-teacher conferences for all three of my kids, all with very positive
feedback and remarks on their progress year-to-date. It was one hell of an
emotional rollercoaster this past week.
My wife also woke up a little early
today. Like me it was a long week with emotions all over the board. However,
she did not have the client high’s & low’s to deal with, nor the amount of
activity on her calendar as I did. She commented about how well I’ve handled
these up’s & down’s this week, speaking directly about being on an “emotional
rollercoaster”. She asked how I was holding up and if I felt exhausted. I had a
simply reply: “I haven’t stopped to really dwell upon one thing or another, I’m
just taking everything in stride”.
Throughout my career in sales I have been
faced with a number of challenges. Managing a hectic calendar, juggling
personal matters with networking events in the evenings, and growing my
individual sales funnel all have prepared me for the unexpected. I’ve learned
over the years to put each and every life instance into perspective. There are
few things in life that I have complete control over. I cannot manage traffic
on the highway, and so from time-to-time I may be late for a meeting. I’m not a
doctor and therefore cannot help a friend or family member that has fallen ill.
And, just the same, I can try my best to remain healthy, but I also cannot hide
from the common cold. There are so many scenarios that play out in my daily
life that I simply cannot control or even foresee, but I’ve come to accept
anyway.
Recognizing that unexpected things
happen in life is step one in managing emotion. Second, putting each unexpected
item into perspective, that is ranking each on a level of importance, helps me
prioritize my daily schedule. Third, I make sure that my family comes first,
company second, and everything else after. And, lastly, if I feel emotion
taking over, I try to walk away for even just a few minutes.
Managing emotions will help you get
ahead in both your professional and personal life. Sometimes you just need to
accept that emotion is human and showing emotion happens.