BOREDOM!

An interesting thing just happened to me. I was doing an online presentation about PowerPoint. It is a subject that I know very well and have mastered over the years. I was asked to give a 15 minute presentation, which anyone who knows me knows that I could talk 15 minutes to a busy signal.

So you would think that this would be an easy presentation for me to do, wouldn’t you? Well not so! This was one of the most difficult webinars I have ever been a part of. Why? Because I got bored!

I found myself starting to “drone” on with little excitement, my voice didn’t have any enthusiasm to it. I know the listeners got a lot of good information, but to put it bluntly, I was FLAT!

How about you? When I shut down the presentation, and after I kicked myself a few times, I started to think about reps making sales calls. I had an “AH HA” moment. I have seen the exact same behavior from sales reps, for the exact same reason, BOREDOM!

Reps know their products; they practice their presentations, call on the same type customers, do the same demos, hear the same objections, give the same answers, and write the same orders. WOW I am almost bored typing it much less doing it!

When there is this much repetition in what you do we sometimes go into “auto pilot” mode. We go through the motions without using our talents and personalities to help us get the sale. Any rep that has been in the field for a length of time sometimes finds themselves daydreaming as they do their sales pitch. HEY YOU, wake up… the customer sees this and knows that you have zoned out! This is BOREDOM!

So how can we stop boredom? (I wish I had written this post before my presentation) There are a few things you can do.

Change your presentation. Don’t change the skeleton of the presentation, meaning the main topics you discuss and the order you discuss them in. Change the words you use to describe your products, change the demo, change the industry you are calling on (this isn’t always possible depending on your product or service), try new things that rejuvenate your enthusiasm for your company, your product, and your career.

If any of you reading this blog have young children, (mine are thankfully grown and past this stage) I know that there are dozens of toys around your home. Why? OK, some of you are saying that they have a lot of toys because you are an easy touch and your children get anything they want from you, and some are blaming their spouse. The truth is you keep buying toys because your children get bored with the toys they have and need new ones to challenge them and rejuvenate their interests!

So maybe this is another solution to boredom. Go buy yourself a toy! NO, not at Toy’s r Us, maybe Best Buy, or your local leather shop. Your toy should be something that excites you. Buy yourself a new laptop or smart phone, a new brief case or portfolio, maybe a new suit or jacket. GO NUTS! This isn’t a toy you are buying just to have fun with; this is a toy for survival and success.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money either (ever notice that the box is a great toy for small children?) Spend as little or as much as you want. Keep in mind this is to give you something that makes you feel good not to show prosperity.

Bring out the kid in yourself and start having fun with your opportunity again.

BOREDOM is for losers, EXCITEMENT is for winners!

Lorin