How to start a month off with hope? Clean!
Every month I ask my sales team to clean their office, to get rid of all old notes, papers, files, etc. I want them to dust their book case, shine their computer and polish their desk. Yes, a cleaning company vacuums every night and puts out trash but I am talking about the normal disorder that occurs after a month of prospecting that needs to be put away.
There is some real value in starting fresh — we all know how good we feel when our cars are clean. Well, this is the same principle. It’s kind of like “out with the old and in with the new.” To walk into a fresh, organized, clean office is the same as a breath of fresh air. Not only do you feel good, your co-workers feel good — but so do your prospects and members. Every time a new prospect enters it makes a statement about you.
I personally have benefited from this. I try to polish my desk, sort through files, put papers away and say, “bring on the new month!” It is refreshing to tear last month’s calendar off my desk and get to the new month. I like looking at the new, clear paper and start putting in new notes. I love organizing my files in my computer and making new plans on outlook. It has worked for me and it will work for you.
It has been proven that clutter keeps you from doing things and that clutter also clutters the mind. We want to be successful every month, we want to hit our numbers, but we can’t do that with last month laying around us. I need to know that my sales people are efficient and effective. I know that when I see their office, when papers are put in binders or folders, when e-mail communication is quick and responsive and when all reports are done in a timely manner. This would not happen if we didn’t take a few minutes to get rid of the old and start with the new.
To start planning for the new month requires a fresh start. Look at your calendar, map out the weeks in a month, note how many Mondays, Tuesdays , Wednesday’s, etc. in the month, note your working days and start to set your 10 day barometers. Always measure your success in 10 day increments. For example, if you want 60 sales, you need 20 by the 10th, if you want 100 appointments you will need 33 by the 10th. Mark this on your calendar and continue to do this with each indicator that your club uses for success. The first day of the month is my favorite day. If I do all the things right on day one, my chance of success on the last day will be in my favor. Get cleaning and watch the results!
Chuck Hall is the executive director at Big Vanilla Athletic Clubs.
