The planning of what each and every one of us hopes 2021 will look like from an individual perspective, is a regular topic for many SaaS sales professionals.

I am hearing deep challenges as people try to close out 2020:

Back to back Zoom calls

Reality of the colder weather

Limited daylight hours...

...

Isolation and loneliness from not being able to see friends and family…

Many seem to be in a tough place mentally at present, with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or simply the winter blues. In addition, this is amplified by the pandemic that has affected each and every one of us. Last Sunday morning, I was whinging about the adversity at present in my life - unable to meet clients face to face, and how hard it is to write and produce new blogs and podcasts.

I then recalled when I was in Ireland last December, that I asked one of my clients, John, the following question. “Why are you so relentless with your work ethic, and giving your all every day?”

I vividly remember his response. John said, “My dad was a fisherman, a hard and dangerous job. There was always uncertainty with the amount of catch each trip and the price it would secure, but the big challenge was the doubt of knowing if he would come home that night.”

So, I decided to change my language and self-talk. “Your ancestors had tough lives and death-threatening jobs; as coal miners it was tiring, hard and dangerous work. So, get over yourself Ade, you have a job that you love - step up!”

I then reflected on what had been a very positive week for many of my clients:

· One gained multiple job offers

· Two received promotion

· A third was headhunted for an ideal ‘career- defining’ role

· Another achieved a 42% salary increase!

· And another doubled the size of a target-breaking enterprise deal…

One my clients, Natacha, shared her observation that, “in many corporate companies, time spent and being seen as present are the currency of value, rather than output.” That inertia struck me as a sub-optimal response to a rapidly changing world - so what is the best way to optimise our resources?

ER doctor Darria Long, in her TEDx talk “An ER doctor on triaging your "crazy busy" life.” It is the ideal reframe to focus on what really matters in the most important of decisions – dealing with the life or death of fellow humans.

Many people talk about being “crazy busy” as if it were a badge of honour. However, Darria says that as a doctor, you cannot afford to be “crazy busy”; it is reactive and does not serve patients. Instead, you have to be in “ready mode”, in the medical profession, triage is the decision-making tool:

Red - immediately life-threatening.

Yellow - serious, but not immediately life-threatening.

Green - minor injury

In the world of SaaS sales, of course, we do not have to make life and death decisions. However, we do have vital moments every day, where we need to be in a peak emotional and mental state to seek opportunity.

Even though there is a temptation to focus on life one day returning to how it was, none of us really know what the post-COVID-19 world will look like. What has become clear however, is that we live in an increasingly distracting world. Committing to do the hard work and prepare and connect with others to find opportunities is the key.

To be continued… in part 2 I reveal a different lens on the scale of opportunity for 2021 and give specific recommendations to beat the blues.

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If you want to take your career to the next level, as well as improve your skills in Enterprise Sales, please contact me at [email protected]