Like it or not, business is emotional. Even in the MSP space, where so much of the work is technical and automated, the human side of business always leads to some level of personal involvement. We care about our work, and our success or failure can have a real impact on not only ourselves, but the people we care about.
There’s this fantasy that we can check our emotions at the office door every morning, but that’s not realistic. When we pour ourselves into our work, spending eight hours (or more) a day improving ourselves and the business, we’re bound to be emotional.
For many, it isn’t just a job. It’s a career. As we move further along in our careers, the sales opportunities get bigger. If the stakes are higher, it’s no surprise the emotions are more prominent.
Instead of trying to check our emotions at the door, we should use them as signals to guide us in our decision making process. Say a client has called your phone every day this week because they’re upset about an issue outside of your control. You want to help resolve the problem, but you’re starting to feel just as anxious as the client.
Strong emotions are a signal to recruit outside help
Our sales coach, Dan Hudock, discusses this strategy frequently in our training sessions. Sales is a tough role and is often done alone, without any outside perspectives to inform our decisions. Because of this, we should step back and get a second opinion whenever we’re feeling emotional on the job.
Here’s another concept Dan’s fond of: “Even coaches have coaches.” For example, the top athletes get all the praise on the field, but their success is thanks to the coaches, nutritionists, and other gurus that help them maintain peak performance.
It’s tempting to resist seeking outside help when we’re feeling emotional. Pride gets in the way, and we don’t want to appear weak or out of control, especially if the emotion stems from a client issue.
However, if you want to see through the fog and land more clients, you have to ask for help. When you’re thinking about where to seek out help, you should also consider going beyond the sales network you’ve built over your career. Some people to consider:
- Your sales coach
- A mentor
- A peer in the industry
- A family member
- Staff
- Your gym’s fitness instructor
- A yogi
- A therapist
By expanding beyond the world of sales, you’ll capture ideas you would have never considered. Each individual will help you get a different perspective, offering you a full panoramic view of both the problem and potential solutions — details that could be clouded by your emotions.
You’re the one ultimately responsible for your decisions, but you don’t have to make the tough ones alone. By leaning on your network, you can arrive at informed conclusions, regardless of your emotions.
Photo: Tortoon / Shutterstock
