Invest in your Health to Increase Productivity

If you're like most professional salespeople, you have more than enough on your plate to keep you busy. When you're not prospecting, you should be selling, and when you're not selling you ought to be prospecting. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

However, I contend there's an additional activity you can engage in that will do wonders for both your prospecting and selling activities - physical exercise! Professional selling is challenging, mentally and physically. Long workdays, difficult travel conditions, and the stress of trying to keep existing customers happy while continuing to build a bigger book of business can take their collective toll on your health. And because your work schedule is so full, it's easy to justify not exercising on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, being physically fit will make you a better salesperson. How? Besides the opportunity to shed some extra pounds accumulated from those lunches with clients, exercise is a great stress reliever. It also helps you to sleep better, feel stronger, and build your endurance for the selling challenges that lie ahead. Just how much exercise do you need? That varies from person to person, but rule-of-thumb says at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week, at a minimum. However, if you're not currently exercising on a regular basis, check with your doctor first before beginning any aerobic training program.

Remember, professional selling is a lot more than a 100-yard sprint; it's more like a 26-mile marathon that requires a steady pace and the endurance to go the distance. Be sure to set aside time on your calendar for those regular workouts - treat them like important appointments - the kind you hate to break.

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