People who work in sales only succeed when they have quality interactions with clients. If you can’t close a deal, then you won’t get a fee, which means that you can’t pay the mortgage or put food on the table. This isn’t a place that annuity sellers want to be. However, in the face of competition, it’s there as a possibility. As we get older, we find it more difficult to manage life’s stressors. Our bodies are aging, and our kids need different things from us. We also tend to sleep less while we should get at least 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep per night. With all of this in mind, it makes sense that we should set ourselves up for success by adopting habits that make us feel healthy, strong, and sharp of mind. Here, I discuss the importance of using mindfulness techniques before a sales meeting because these require us to be at our very best.
What It Looks Like
You are sitting there at your laptop and saying to yourself: “This writer is crazy. Does he or she actually sell life insurance annuities to clients?” I assure you that I am in the very same industry, and I truly believe that mindfulness techniques make us better sellers. I recommend that people build mindfulness meditation into their daily routine, which could even include putting reminders on your Microsoft Outlook calendar or on your smartphone. With a mobile app like Calm, you can schedule alerts to tell yourself it’s time to meditate. I tend to need this alert every day about 11:00 am. I am into the thick of my day, and I am starting to stress out. There’s still an hour or two remaining until I break for lunch. I feel overwhelmed and need to relax my mind and body. I need to refocus my neurons on what I’m doing in the present moment. That’s when I close the door to my office, fire up YouTube on the desktop for a guided meditation, or just watch the inhale and exhale icons on my Calm app.
What It Feels Like
If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you know that focused breathing works wonders for the body. I used to go to these classes years ago, but, it was mostly for time away from my youngsters and for the social relationships I formed with other yoga students. Now, I really need to go to yoga class, but it’s not something that I will get up two hours earlier to do before work. What does it feel like to do mindfulness meditation? When I close my eyes, I think about the fact that my mind, body, and spirit have reached a point of overload. I have too many things to concentrate on and negative thoughts won’t stop nagging at me. I tell myself this: “If I can just make two more phone calls or check my emails again, I’ll be able to put those thoughts aside.” I take the first inhalation, hold my breath, and then release it. I feel a bit of tension leave my body. Each breath makes me feel better. Suddenly, the day seems less daunting. I will be able to smile and tell the next client why she needs to consider a fixed rate annuity because she doesn’t like risking her money any more than she needs to. I will also steer her away from high-return investment options because she’ll be furious if one of them loses money.
Think About Your Clients
If you take 1 to 5 minutes to calm your body with meditation before a sales meeting, you can relieve tension from your being. Your face will look less strained, your shoulders will stoop forward less, you will sit up straighter, and you will feel less pain in your calves. Each of us carries stress in different parts of our bodies. If you’re so stiff that you look awkward to clients (even constipated or anxious), do a full-body stretch before showing them into the sales meeting. These steps may seem silly at first, but they can make a difference in how calm you feel. Your goal is to appear friendly and helpful so you can sell more products to clients. People want to learn about annuity products from a salesperson who is knowledgeable, of course, but also from someone who understands their needs.