| I have worked successfully from a home
office in various sales roles in the past, and there are many benefits from working at
home; however, there are also many dangers.
Sales managers and sales professionals need to be aware of
potential pitfalls.
Avoid the following dangers and you will be able to create
a highly productive home office environment.
Never Shutting Off The Work
One of the main problems with working from home for sales people is that you are
technically always at work. It becomes very hard for your mind to separate your free time
and your work time. This can result in an unbalanced life-style and addictive work
behaviors. Some common negative habits that are formed consist of constantly checking
emails, always taking calls even during non-working ours, and working well into the night.
To help prevent these negative habits, set up a separate
office space, maintain set working hours with a clear start and end time to your day, shut
your computer down, and turn off your work phone during non-working hours.
Not Getting Any Exercise
Sitting on your butt for 8+ hours a day is never a good recipe for physical fitness and
health. If you do work from home, then make sure you are scheduling time for your workouts
or participating in some sports or activities to stay active. The body and mind are all
connected. Without a strong body, your mind will lack the energy it needs to be productive
day in and day out. Without energy and a high level of fitness, you will not produce the
same results.
Lack Of Sales Motivation & Procrastination
When you are on your own working from home, it can be easy to slip into procrastination
mode. You can help prevent this by setting weekly and daily goals. Make sure you complete
your toughest work activity first thing in the day. Consider finding some accountability
partners to help you stay on track.
Distractions
This can range from laundry, to cleaning, to TV, to personal calls, to running errands,
and to nice weather. I have heard of sales professionals and sales managers who simply
were so distracted at home, that they wanted to find an office away from home, even if it
meant driving well over an hour each way. You must minimize your distractions and set
clear guidelines of what you should be doing and should not be doing during working hours.
Not Feeling Like “Real Work” Was Accomplished
Despite working from home being more popular than ever before, a lot of people still
don’t see it as “real work.” They think if you don’t commute an hour
each way, dress up in a suit, drink coffee with your peers in the morning, and sit in a
daily sales meeting, that it isn’t “real work.”
To others, working from home means you have a license to do
what you want, when you want. Although this is not true, you need to make sure you set the
boundaries with your friends and family. Just because you are at home, does not mean you
are free to help them with favors. They need to understand the hours you work, and that
you are serious and disciplined when working and can not be disturbed.
Trouble Getting Up Early
Most people don’t like getting up at 5:30AM or 6:00AM to get ready and drive into
work. Working from home will often give you some degree of flexibility in this regard,
however, be careful that you don’t take advantage of this too much. Make sure you are
getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed, and eating before the time you want to start
working. Give yourself a solid hour to prepare for the work day. So, if you want to start
work at 8AM, make sure you have an alarm going off at 7AM.
Trouble Sleeping
The fact that you can feel like you are always at work means it becomes hard to shut down.
Too often sales professionals will check email a few minutes before going to bed. This
means the last thing on their mind are emails from their management, clients, and
prospects. This is not a good way to prepare and relax the mind for sleep. To avoid this,
make sure you do not log into your email within 1-2 hours before getting ready for bed.
I love working from a home office, but it is not the
paradise that many people presume it is unless you are very disciplined and regimented
with your approach. Avoid these dangers, and you too can enjoy working from a home office
productively and successfully for many years to come. |
